Monterey — The Two Faces Conspiracy

Your journey in Monterey begins at Custom House Plaza, the tourist and historical heart of Monterey State Historic Park. It is here, on this approximately 0.5-hectare square, that major political gatherings of the Mexican-American transition took place between 1846 and 1850. The first challenge leads you to the Custom House itself, California's oldest public building still standing, built in 1827. This adobe structure, with its wooden portico, served as the administrative seat of the Mexican governor and Spanish royal customs before 1846. It was on this site that the American flag was raised on July 7, 1846, by Commodore John Drake Sloat, marking the American takeover of California.

Continuing your thematic circuit, you reach the Larkin House, built in 1835 by Thomas Oliver Larkin, American consul. This house is the first example of the 'Monterey Colonial' style in California, an architecture that merges Mexican adobe and American timber framing. Larkin, born in 1802 and died in 1858, played a key diplomatic role in the American annexation of California. The Larkin House even served as military headquarters during the Mexican-American War from 1846 to 1848, demonstrating the strategic importance of Monterey and its California historical heritage.

Your exploration of Monterey's heritage then takes you to Colton Hall, built in 1849 by Walter Colton, former mayor of the city and a writer. This neoclassical stone-walled monument is a California Historical Landmark where the California Constitution was signed on November 2, 1849, a crucial step before California's admission to the Union in 1850. Colton financed its construction by selling municipal land, a decision that caused local political controversy. Nearby, the Pacific House Museum, built in 1847, was a hotel and commercial warehouse during the California Gold Rush, and housed American soldiers during the 1846-1847 occupation.

The walk leads you towards the Old Fisherman's Wharf, built in 1846, Monterey's oldest continuously operating pier. Approximately 430 meters long, it was a vital center for the whaling trade from 1830 to 1860, then for sardine fishing from 1900 to 1945. This pier also served as a landing point for American troops in 1846. Walking along the waters, you reach Steinbeck Plaza, named in honor of John Steinbeck (1902-1968), the Californian writer who immortalized the working life of Monterey. The plaza, dedicated in 1997, is adjacent to Cannery Row, the inspiration for his eponymous 1945 novel.

The culmination of your discovery of Cannery Row, Monterey's industrial heritage, is Doc Ricketts' Lab. Located at 800 Cannery Row, this 1918 building was the actual biological laboratory of Edward Flannery Ricketts (1897-1948), marine biologist and friend of Steinbeck. Ricketts is the model for the character 'Doc' in 'Cannery Row'. This marine research center collected specimens for American universities from 1923 to 1948. By completing your scavenger hunt in Monterey, you will have explored the two faces of the city: that of the Mexican-American transition and that of its literary and maritime legacy, an immersive thematic circuit in the heart of California.