Cannery Row (Monterey)

Based on TripAdvisor's reviews, we booked a tour of Cannery Row with Tim Thomas, a fourth generation Monterey local who has a trove of knowledge of local history. We learned about the original Natives Rumsen Ohlone, who thrived in the area by its rich natural resources but eventually moved away to the Spanish mission villages. The thriving fishing industry at the turn of the century then brought about the fish canning business. During WWI, since the Europeans could no longer fish safely in the Atlantic, the sardines cannery business exploded for export. The cannery workers would wait for their cannery's whistle call in the middle of the night when the fishing boats arrived, when they would immediately report to the cannery and start the canning. They couldn't stop the work until all the fish was canned, because back then there wasn't any good refrigeration technology. What I didn't know and found intriguing, though, is the fact that other than sardines and rock fish, Monterey also yielded lots of squid, salmon, and abalone production. These seafoods weren't interesting to the Westerners at the time, but attracted lots of immigrants from China and Japan. The abalone shell that Tim showed to us was the largest I've ever seen, yet he said that's not even considered very big from the typical abalone one could find in the Monterey Bay. Unfortunately, due to over-fishing and changing water temperatures, the Monterey Bay's fishing industry eventually collapsed and brought the cannery business to an end.

We've been to Cannery Row a couple of times before but never learned all the rich history. There are many stories I won't elaborate on (including the famous ones of Ed Ricketts and John Steinbeck), but if you ever visit the Cannery Row and have the time, look up Tim and he'll fill your ears with plenty of stories. :)

Ed Ricketts' Pacific Biological Laboratories as seen from the back.

McAbee's beach.

An oil tank holding oil to run the machinery in the cannery, unearthed by the city of Monterey on display for the tourists. Many oil tanks are still buried under Cannery Row and still holding oil.

Souvenir from Tim: an original sardines can label.