Monterey History and Art Museum — Attraction in Monterey

I guess the word that comes to mind when describing the Monterey Peninsula is, "what's not to like because this entire region is a magnificent place to visit." Over the years we have looked forward to coming to Monterey to get away from our busy work schedules.

This is a place to come and relax and to enjoy the company of each other and the drive down the coast only adds to the visit. We have stayed at the Monterey Bay Inn where you can take in breath taking views of the bay from your balcony to the Monterey Plaza Hotel where your right on Monterey's famous "Cannery Row." We have taken the scenic "17-mile" drive along the Monterey coast making numerous stops along the way to take photos or explore the area.

We have dined at practically every one of their numerous restaurants along the coast and Fisherman's Wharf and they were all extraordinary. We have enjoyed the walks along Monterey's State Beach to visiting the museums and aquarium's and honestly, there isn't anything that we don't like about this place, other than the fact that everyone else knows about it!

I've always been fascinated in the places we have visited over the years. To visit a town, city or place is just as interesting to me as in how it was established. Early on in the history of California, the state went through many changes before becoming what it is today, Monterey was no exception.

500 B.C. to 500 A.D, native Americans known as the Esalen were the first inhabitants to have resided along the Monterey area.

In 500 B.C., the Esalen were displaced by the Ohlone Indians, who were drawn to the area by the abundance of fish and wildlife and other natural resources. Several of their village sites have been identified and preserved.

In 1242, Portuguese explorer, Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo, spotted La Bahia de los Pinos (Bay of Pines) on a journey in search of riches in the New World.

In 1602, Spanish explorer Don Sebastian Viscaino officially named the port in honor of Spain's Count of Monte Rey under whose order he was sailing.

In 1849, delegates from throughout Alta California met in Colton Hall in Monterey to create a constitution for the people of the new U.S. territory. The new constitution was signed on October 13, 1849.

In 1850, the U.S. California became the thirty-first state of the Union.

In the 1870s, the first railroad was built, connecting the quiet fishing town with cosmopolitan San Francisco and cities beyond.

In the 1880s, the local whaling industry disappeared and civic leaders turned to tourism to revive the local economy and by the mid-1880s, tourism flourished in the area, with thousands flocking to the seaside resort annually.

By the 1920s, the sardine market had grown greatly and the section of Monterey known today as Cannery Row was established. Workers processed an estimated 250,000 tons of sardines each year and Monterey became known as the "Sardine Capital of the World." The seemingly bottomless ocean full of sardines proved more fragile than anyone believed possible.

The rough and rollicking vicinity of Cannery Row was made famous in the John Steinbeck novels Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday.

In the 1940s, the sardine population began a rapid decline because of being over fished. The once-thriving Cannery Row soon became a ghost town of empty warehouses.

By 1950s, the sardine population had nearly been wiped out and the canning industry crashed and never recovered.

From the 1960s to 1970s, Inner-city Revitalization changes the face of Monterey when several buildings are saved by the Monterey History & Art Association, the City of Monterey, and California State Parks, to be restored or refurbished.

In 1984, the Monterey Bay Aquarium opens on Monterey's Cannery Row.

In 1992, the Monterey History & Art Association opened the Stanton Center Maritime Museum & History Center, to provide a permanent home for the Allen Knight Collection and its reference resource library.

U. S. Congress designates Monterey Bay as part of the Monterey Bay National...

This is gallery is worth visiting if you are in the area but its not worth visiting specifically if you live any distance away.

The gallery is laid out in an odd way. Partially because of the space it resides it but it also its just laid out more like a commercial gallery than a museum exhibit. The art is crammed wall to wall frame to frame. Its great they have so many works on display but this isn't really the best or most modern way to display art since its kind of overwhelming. Especially given the content and style in this case.

Almost all the art was framed in large gaudy gold frames the kind that can be found in your average art store and it distracts from the art itself.

Ignoring all that their is a great collection of many of Dali's less typical works mostly from his time in Monterrey. They are great to see but almost all of them are prints.

Overall its worth visiting and there are a lot of other sites in the area, so if you happen to be nearby its...

The big surprise was learning that Dali lived and worked in Monterey for the better part of the 1940s. Apparently, he was very involved in the local art scene, including helping to "jury competitive art exhibitions for high school students." But don't come expecting to see his better known works; this collection highlights lesser known projects, the work he did here, and his connection to the area.

And, frankly, it looks like the entire collection is on display, the frames are laid out with very little space between them and they cover all of the wall space, and here is also not a lot of exposition, explaining the difference between one set of images and the next, so the visual experience can be quite overwhelming. It's a lot to take in.

But just knowing that a local resouces like this exists makes me want to learn more about Dali and his work.

The staff person who sold tickets was very helpful...