8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY AUGUST 17-23, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com 831 Even back in 1939, the Monterey Chamber of Commerce knew the city’s rich history was good for business. Chamber members, with help from the Monterey History and Art Association and a Custom House historian, created a tourist map of nearly every historical site they could identify—55 in all. “A round trip of 2.8 miles passing in front of, or close by, the principal historic buildings and sites of ‘Old Monterey,’” it said at the top. The starting point was the Royal Presidio Chapel, taking users past adobe buildings, hitting other important spots like Colton Hall and Custom House along the way. The map was primarily designed for driving, but over time evolved into an urban walking trail known as the Path of History. There are other self-guided history paths in Monterey, like the Monterey Walking Path of History developed by the California State Parks for Monterey State Historic Park. Combined with issues like missing markers on the city’s route, it’s confusing for those interested in touring. “It’s hard to find a single source of what the path is,” said Monterey Library and Museums Director Brian Edwards at a meeting on Aug. 3, introducing the public to a draft report by a consulting firm hired by the city to reimagine the path. The sites on the 1939 map were no doubt historic then, but the map is trapped in time. It mainly focused on the Mexican and early American eras of the city, with no buildings from the early 20th century. There was nothing about Indigenous people or the waves of immigrants who came in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The city’s current Path of History has just one site referencing the first inhabitants. “One of my goals here is to make everything more accessible to the public and, with that, it’s also telling our new story,” Edwards told the gathering of about 20 people inside the Japanese American Citizens League building, constructed in 1926 in the heart of what was then a thriving “Japan Town.” Two additional paths are proposed by consultants Page & Turnbull, incorporating more immigrant stories and early-20th-century buildings. The Pearl District Cultural Heritage Walk would loop from near the Sports Center through the neighborhood up to Fremont Street and back. The district housed primarily Japanese and Sicilian fishing families, as well as those from Portugal, and includes other noted sites, like the former African American USO building, now the Portuguese Community Center. The New Monterey Cultural Heritage Walk would take people on a stroll from Lower Presidio Park through New Monterey to Cannery Row. That path begins at the landing site of explorer Gaspar de Portolá and Father Junipero Serra, then past sites important to the city’s development in the early 1900s. Page & Turnbull Associate Principal Christina Dikas said there was still more outreach needed to local tribes. Some members of other tribes had expressed concern about making sacred sites public. (One workaround, Dikas said, was sharing stories of Indigenous peoples in between stops.) The next morning most of the group gathered at the corner of East Franklin and Washington streets for a sample tour of the Pearl District walk. Dikas led the way, with P&T Principal-incharge Ruth Todd taking notes, as she had the night before, recording suggestions. Although consultants had done extensive research into Monterey’s history, some local experts and longtime residents—like Tim Thomas, known for his historic walking tours, who now serves as chair of the Monterey Museums and Cultural Arts Commission—piped up, pointing out sites they may have missed. “It’s a good beginning process,” Thomas said later. Part of the accessibility Edwards referred to includes using a digital app which can be more easily updated than brochures and physical markers, although eventually those would also be used, budget allowing. The city recently began using an interactive digital map at cityofmonterey.stqry. app. It includes text, audio and images to make stories of each point along the way come alive—a far cry from the paper maps of 1939. History Making Monterey officials get to work creating a historical walking path that includes stories of people on the margins. By Pam Marino Christina Dikas (right), a consultant with Page & Turnbull, leads a public walk on a proposed future history path that begins near Jacks Park in Monterey. Monterey Library and Museums Director Brian Edwards (left) helps direct participants. “It’s a good beginning process.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE DANIEL DREIFUSS PRESENTED BY WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2023 PORTOLA HOTEL & SPA • 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM $75 MEMBERS • $90 PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS INCLUDES LUNCH Join us for lunch as an impressive panel of federal, state and local elected officials cover topics such as: new projects taking place in their jurisdictions, new business coming to the region and important issues that have impacts on the future viability of our economy. REGISTER NOW AT MONTEREYCHAMBER.COM EVENT SPONSORS
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