1860s 1869 Transcontinental Railroad finishes construction and disperses 10,000 Chinese immigrant laborers to Monterey Bay, where Chinese fishing industry forms 1860s Cattle ranching dominates the Salinas Valley Castroville was founded by Juan Bautista Castro, a Californio rancher EVEN BEFORE THE COUNTY WAS FORMALLY ESTABLISHED, Colton Hall opened March 8, 1849. Only a few months later, California’s first Constitution would be written within its walls and the state’s impressive United States history would officially begin. While the original Indigenous residents of Monterey County understood the abundant and varied natural resources of the land and sea, the final decades of the 19th century brought waves of new settlers who would experience what the fertile Salinas Valley and biodiverse Monterey Bay could provide. Opposite: California's constitution, written in both English and Spanish. Above: The Southern Pacific Railroad Depot at San Miguel (date unknown). Courtesy of the Monterey County Free Libraries, Marina, CA
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