1976 Heritage Society Historical Map of Pacifc Grove, California

Picturesque Peak of the Monterey Peninsula

This is a rare 1976 historical map of Pacific Grove, California, presenting it as it appeared in 1889. It displays the city at the moment of its incorporation, when it was quickly adding residents and developing an urban plan.

A Closer Look

This map is oriented towards the east with north at top-left. Blocks are numbered, and existing properties (assessed in 1889 at over $100 in value) are shaded to indicate whether the structure is still standing. This shading reveals that most of the buildings extant in 1889 were still present in 1976, although often with significant changes. Some street names have changed, though here too most remain the same, as does the basic city grid layout. Trees are illustrated to demonstrate the still-intermittent nature of the houses extant in the city at the time of its founding. Lighthouse Road (now Lighthouse Avenue) leads to the Point Pinos Lighthouse (built 1855), situated at the tip of the Monterey Peninsula to the west of the area seen here. This road was laid out in 1874 to bring supplies to the lighthouse from the port at Monterey. Aside from houses, the El Carmelo Hotel, parks (still extant, though Cypress Park is now Berwic Park), and a stable are labeled. The El Carmelo Hotel opened in 1887, soon after the original Hotel Del Monte in Monterey burned down, but it burned down in 1917. The famous 17 Mile Drive is ghosted in at the right.

This map depicts Pacific Grove in 1889, a pivotal year as it marked the incorporation of Pacific Grove as a city, complete with Victorian homes and a street grid, alongside a seasonal summer camp run by Methodists and a Chinese fishing village (discussed below). The same year also saw the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad, which drastically increased accessibility, with connections to San Francisco and other urban centers. The Southern Pacific station is not seen here, but was located just to the west of the bath house at the top, just north of Caledonian Park, and the rail line ran along the waterfront.

Pacific Grove in the Late 19th Century

After the native Rumsen Ohlone people who inhabited the Monterey Peninsula and operators of the Point Pinos Lighthouse, the first settlers in Pacific Grove were not Americans or Europeans but the Chinese, who were the first to establish commercial fishing in Monterey Bay. Other settlers ('Anglos') forcibly pushed the Chinese out of daytime fishing, though exceptionally resilient, they successfully shifted to catching squid at night. The main Chinese fishing village was located at Point Alones, just east of the area seen here (where Cannery Row would develop). Much of the land on the Monterey Peninsula was owned by David Jacks, who then sold it to the Pacific Improvement Company, formed in 1878 by the 'Big Four' California railroad tycoons behind the Central Pacific Railroad (Transcontinental Railroad), who also by 1889 owned the Southern Pacific. The company invested heavily in transforming the Monterey Peninsula into a national and even international resort destination, complete with luxurious hotels, golf courses, and breathtaking seaside views. In typical fashion, the Big Four were unsentimental about removing any obstacles to their endeavors. In 1906, amidst a battle to remove the Chinese from the Monterey Peninsula, the fishing village on the border of Pacific Grove and Monterey burned down in what was almost certainly an act of arson.

Further west, prudish Methodists (another important early group of settlers) built a summer camp known as 'Chautauqua' just north of the bath house seen here at the top-center (now known as Lovers Point, originally 'Lovers of Jesus Point' thanks to the Methodists). This retreat space made the future Pacific Grove a destination for religious pilgrims seeking a place of reflection and community. In the long term, due to the Methodist influence, Pacific Grove instituted very strict Blue Laws and was the last dry town in California, only legalizing alcohol sales in 1969.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared by the Pacific Grove Heritage Society in 1976, which had only been formed the previous year. We are not aware of any other examples in institutional collections or of any market history.

Condition

Good. Light foxing. Image is skewed somewhat (not square).