Monterey Harbor
? Look out upon these waters.
? Their recorded history began when Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sighted the "Bay of Pines" on Nov. 17, 1542.
? Sebastian Viscaino was first to touch land Dec. 16, 1602. He claimed the land for Spain and named the Harbor for the Viceroy of Mexico, the Count of Monterey.
? June 3, 1770 is Monterey's birthday. On that day Gaspar de Portola, the soldier, and Padre Junipero Serra, Father of California Missions, joined from land and sea to form the first settlement.
? For 76 years this was the capital of Spanish and Mexican California. Here was the Royal Chapel, the Presidio, and the only Custom House. They still stand nearby.
? In 1818, Bouchard, the Argentine privateer, sailed into the Bay and sacked the town. In 1842, Commodore T. Ap Catesby Jones, U.S. Navy, under the mistaken belief that war had been declared against Mexico, seized the port but withdrew after three days.
? On July 7, 1846, war actually having been declared, Commander John Drake Sloat, commanding a squadron of three ships, raised the 28 star flag of the United States over the Custom House, taking possession of a great Western territory, now forming all or part of seven states.
? Three years later, in 1849, many delegates to the State's constitutional convention arrived by ship.
? On these sands in 1879 walked Robert Louis Stevenson, dreaming the plot for "Treasure Island".
? From 1854 until the early 1900's, Monterey was a whaling port and the beaches were white with whalebone. Sails came to dot the bay. Later, in the 1930's, here was the greatest sardine fishery in the world.
? Look out again upon these waters. Monterey Harbor is small but it has made history.
Marker is on Monterey Bay Coastal Trail.
Courtesy hmdb.org
