Monterey Bay Shore Whaling: A Maritime Industrial Landscape

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

John Davenport began whaling off the coast of Monterey, California in 1854, establishing the state’s first shore-based whaling station .With the discovery of petroleum and eventual ubiquity of gas lighting through the 1860s, Californian shore whaling began as a moribund industry - the sharp decline in the value of whale oil and a dearth of whales in Monterey Bay nearly finished off the whaling companies operating in its waters by late 19th century. Based at two locations in Monterey, as well as a station at Point Lobos miles to the south in Carmel Bay, these stations were a vital part of the Monterey waterfront before the era of “Cannery Row.” A final attempt at Monterey bay whaling occurred in the early 20th century, but collapsed by 1927. Though these stations are no longer standing, this presentation provides an archaeolgical reconstruction of these integral spaces in the Monterey Bay’s industrial landscape.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow