Extensions to Monterey historical walking path to include POC perspectives
MONTEREY - Cultural and historical groups in Monterey are inviting the public to take part in the planning of two proposed extensions to the city's historical walking path.
Monterey's Path of History guides residents through some of the city's earliest and most historically significant structures.
The city's Library & Museums Department, along with the Museums & Cultural Arts Commission, will hold an in-person meeting Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Japanese American Citizens League Hall at 424 Adams Street to discuss the two extensions. On Friday, residents are invited to a guided tour of the two paths, the Pearl District Walk and the Presidio/New Monterey Walk.
The Pearl District Walk will take visitors through the old Japanese district of Monterey along Pearl Street, Washington Street and Franklin Street. There, participants can learn about Japanese migration to the U.S. in the late 19th century, the impact immigrants had on Monterey's canning and fishing industries and the internment of Japanese citizens during World War II.
The Presidio Walk will highlight the history of Rumsen people and other Indigenous tribes that lived in the region as well as the early Spanish settlement in Monterey. The walk will pass through a national archaeological site with evidence of Indigenous tribes dating back 10,000 years.
Brian Edwards, Monterey's Library and Museum director, says that the paths will be created with help from a community impact grant.
The Pearl District guided tour will take place Friday at 10 a.m., with the tour of the Presidio to follow at 1 p.m.
The Path of History was created in 1939 to highlight historical points of interest in the city of Monterey.
Currently, the 2-mile walking path guides visitors to landmarks like the Royal Presidio Chapel, constructed in 1794, or the Old Custom House, the oldest government building in California, built in 1827.