Chapter 16: North Pacific Coast - American Indians

Chapter 16 is about the North Pacific Coast region, which Monterey County is not a part of. The chapter does have a section about human occupation and talks about American Indians as settlers of the region. I already spoke about Indian occupation when the Europeans discovered Monterey County in the 1600s, so now I am going to talk about the Indian settlement in Monterey County before that.

Tribes: Ohlone, Esselen, and Salinan were the major Indian groups in Monterey County.
When: Settled between 12,000-2,000 B.C.

Map of Where in Monterey County Early Indians Lived

Location: Lived in provinces or territories defined by natural topographies like rivers and mountains.
Diet: Acorn mush. (Acorns were leached of tannic acids, ground, and then cooked with hot stones in a water proof basket.) Salmon was also a favorite food and was found in most streams back then.
Clothing: Very little clothing (according to the first European accounts). 
Trade: Things like obsidians (used for arrowheads and seashells, which in turn were used for art and currency).

Carefully Painted Esselen Handprints

As in the North Pacific Coast, Indians began dying out when Europeans arrived. Like I mentioned in my chapter 3 blog post, Indians were mistreated in the Missions. They were rounded up and forced to serve in the Missions, they were not allowed to speak their native languages and practice their own customs, and the males and females had to live in separate quarters.

Also like in the North Pacific Coast, few Indian tribes remain in Monterey County. The Esselens' privately owned 1200 acres is the only large Indian land owned today.

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Chapter 15: California - Earthquakes

Chapter 15 is about the California region, which Monterey County is a part of. I am going to talk about the earthquake section of the chapter.

Sign on Bridge in Parkfield

Monterey County is on top of active geologic fault lines. The most active one is the San Andreas fault line. It runs through Parkfield, which is called the "Earthquake Capital of the world." Scientists monitor Parkfield and gather data about earthquakes. The ground there moves at a rate of 2.33 inches per year.

 M6.0 Parkfield Earthquake on 9/28/04

The largest earthquake within 100 miles of Monterey County was a 6.9 Magnitude in 1989. And although San Francisco is over 125 miles north, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake "permanently shifted the course of the Salinas River near its mouth. Where previously the river emptied into Monterey Bay between Moss Landing and Watsonville, it was diverted 6 miles south to a new outlet just north of Marina."

Map of Monterey County Faultlines

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Chapter 14: Southwest Border - Ethnic Diversity

Chapter 14 is about the Southwest Border region, which Monterey County is not a part of. Like the Southwest Border, Monterey County has an ethnic diversity, so I am going to give some statistics and talk a bit about Monterey County's demographics.

Monterey Population Compared to California & US Population

White = 230,717 or 55.6%
African American =12,785 or 3.1%
Native American = 5,464 or 1.3%
Asian = 25,258 or 6.1% (2.8% Filipino, 0.7% Korean, 0.6% Chinese, 0.6% Japanese, 0.4% Vietnamese, 0.4% Indian)
Pacific Islander = 2,071 or 0.5%
Other races= 117,405 or 28.3%
2 or more races = 21,357 or 5.1%
Hispanic or Latino of any race = 230,003 or 55.4% (50.2% Mexican, 0.8% Salvadoran, 0.5% Puerto Rican)

Comparison of Racial Socio-Economic Standing

Like in the Southwest Border, there are large cultural and economic gaps between the white population and the racial minority populations. As seen in the chart above, whites, as a group, have stronger socio-economic standing than other groups. Latinos are in the lowest socio-economic position, and Asians and African Americans are somewhere in the middle.

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Chapter 13: Empty Interior - National/State Parks

Chapter 13 is about the Empty region, which Monterey County is not a part of. However, like the Empty Interior, Monterey County has a lot of national and state parks.

Point Lobos State Reserve

My favorite park is Point Lobos State Reserve. I like that it represents the best coastal features of Monterey. It consists of 750 acres of underwater wonders (like coves) and 550 acres of protected land full of trails and views (like headlands and rolling meadows). Wildlife includes seals, sea lions, sea otters, dolphins, migrating gray whales, and seabirds.

Harbor Seals at Point Lobos State Reserve

Scuba Diver Films Jellyfish at Point Lobos State Reserve

Monterey County National Parks: 1A Los Padres National Forest ; 2A Pinnacles National Monument ; 3A Salinas River National Refuge ; 4A Arroyo Seco Recreation Area

National Parks Map

Monterey County State Parks: A Andrew Molera State Park ; B Asilomar State Beach ; C Carmel River State Beach ; C Carmel River Lagoon & Wetlands ; D Fremont Peak State Park ; E Garrapata State Park ; F Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park ; G Limkiln State Park ; H Marina State Beach / Fort Ord Dunes State Park ; I Monterey State Beach ; J Moss Landing State Beach ; K Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park ; L Point Lobos State Reserve ; M Point Sur ; N Houghton Roberts State Beach ; O Salinas River State Beach ; P Seaside State Beach

State Parks Map

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Chapter 12: Great Plains & Prairies - Grasslands Literature

Chapter 12 is about the Great Plains and Prairies region, which Monterey County is not a part of. The chapter does talk about grasslands literature and The Grapes of Wrath, which relates to Monterey County.

John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck is the Nobel Prize winning author of The Grapes of Wrath and was born and raised in Salinas, which is in Monterey County. His writing often revolves around characters/issues of the Salinas Valley and many of his most famous novels like Mice and Men, East of Eden, Tortilla Flat, and Cannery Row take place there and at Monterey. When I was in Salinas, I saw the National Steinbeck Center, which is a museum about John Steinbeck. The museum has the largest number of Steinbeck archives, as well as many exhibitions about him, his work, and his beliefs. The exhibitions are divided into three sections: literature, agriculture, and art & culture.

 Museum in Salinas, CA

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