McAbee Beach
Historic Cannery Row
Portuguese whalers
From the California Gold Rush to nearly the turn of the century, Portuguese whalers launched boats from this beach and rowed them out into the bay to intercept whales migrating along the Monterey coastline. Once harpooned, the whales were towed back to the beach. There the blubber was removed and boiled to extract oil for use in lamps. Whaling from the beach ended in the late 1800s, when kerosene was discovered and provided a more economical way of lighting a room.
McAbee’s seaside entertainments
John B. McAbee purchased the golden sand beach at the turn of the century and pursued one of the first commercial ventures here on Ocean View Avenue, the original name of Cannery Row. McAbee rented boats, tents and small cottages to seasonal tourists but was unable to make a dependable income from them.
A Chinese settlement at McAbee Beach
The Chinese fishing village at China Point (circa 1853-1906), now Hopkins Marine Station, was the second largest Chinese settlement on the West Coast. It was destroyed by fire in 1906, so the Chinese villagers leased McAbee Beach and built a smaller settlement that occupied this beach until the late 1920s. The Chinese fishing village grew and spread out along the rocky Monterey coastline as the sardine industry grew.
Marker is on Cannery Row, on the right when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
