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Historic
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MARITIME |
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 Monterey Bay was first discovered and mapped by Europeans when Sebastian Cabrillo sighted the “Bahia de los Pinos” in 1542, followed by Sebastian Vizcaino, who dropped anchor here in 1602 during his search for a protected harbor for Spain’s lucrative Manila galleons trade. Though not founded until 1770, Monterey went on to make its fortune through its role as Alta California’s primary port until 1849. In that momentous year, San Francisco’s deep water and more sheltered harbor — and its proximity to the Sierra Nevada gold fields — gave it precedence.
Fisherman’s Wharf dates from the 1840s and 1850s, when trading vessels shared wharf space with whaling ships; the Old Whaling Station with its whalebone path, Casa Soberanes, and The First Theater — built by a sailor named Jack Swan — all date from this period. The officials working in Custom House examined and taxed porcelain from China, filigree from the Philippines, and commodities and luxury goods from South America, Russia, Canada and Europe. In time, whaling fell off, replaced by fishing for salmon, sardines, and squid. Whether simple fishing boat or sturdy schooner from around the Horn, all relied on guidance from the lights at Point Pinos Lighthouse, built in 1855, and Point Sur Lightstation, built in 1889.
The eye-catching centerpiece of the Maritime Museum of Monterey is the original, immense, 580-prism Fresnel lens used at Point Sur Light; there are displays dedicated to every period in Monterey’s maritime past. Among the exhibits to discover: a recreated ship captain’s cabin, intricate models of historic ships, the sailor’s tools-of-the-trade such as sextants and telescopes, and a history of the canning industry. Its display on the USS Macon, a lighter-than-air vessel that went down off Point Sur in 1935, highlights the region’s Naval connections that continue to this day at the Naval Postgraduate School.
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