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Continued from last week…
Another war brought another and much-needed stroke of luck for Cannery Row. World War II called for another cannery expansion. The 1940s were Monterey’s time to shine as the bay’s sardines fed the world. This era officially allowed Monterey to be named the “Sardine Capital of the World.” But that quick luck would soon run out.
Just five years into Cannery Row’s biggest boom, the canning and fishing industry died from sheer lack of sardines. The entire bay became depleted of its biggest source of income.
Author John Steinbeck wrote Cannery Row and published it in 1945. His novel painted an image of Cannery Row that no one had experienced before. The story followed a band of bums and their individual, diverse lives on Cannery Row. The classic novel opened a whole other demographic to fall in love with the area.
The 1950s and 60s brought a new outlook to Cannery Row. The long-gone canneries were now turning into restaurants, cafes, and souvenir shops. New business ventures turned Cannery Row around and started to rebuild the empire into something entirely new.
Eventually, these new, high-end restaurants and eateries were turning Cannery Row into what is today known as “Restaurant Row”. The lively Row was resurrected into a flourishing seaside road once again.
Monterey Bay Aquarium opened its doors to the public in 1984. The educational marine biology meeting the mesmerizing magic of the sea was actually influenced by one of the characters in Steinbeck’s book, deepening the connection between Cannery Row and its own history.
The following year, the grand oceanfront Monterey Plaza Hotel opened on the Tevis Estate. This hotel brought back the luxe grandeur the estate had held so many years before. The elegance that brought so many to visit Cannery Row was finally present again.
On a personal note, my late grandmother lived in Salinas. As a kid, I spent summers with her. She took me to Monterey many times, giving me the opportunity to see Cannery Row in its original form, years before it became the tourist attraction it is today. The memories remain forever etched in me.
The photo is of my dear wife and me at Cannery Row, not that long ago.
Everything else is just history…
