Agricultural Resources Evaluation Handbook, Monterey County, California

PAST Consultants, LLC

From executive summary: "The Agricultural Resources Evaluation Handbook synthesizes three historic context statements devoted to historic agricultural resources in Monterey County’s North County Planning Area, Salinas Valley and South County Planning Area: PAST Consultants, LLC’s Historic Context Statement for Agricultural Resources in the North County Planning Area, Monterey County (2010); Clark Historic Resource Consultants, Inc.’s Agriculturally Related Historic Resources Located in the Unincorporated Areas Between Salinas and Soledad, Monterey County, California, Phase I (2000) and Phase II (2001); and Galvin Preservation Associates, Inc.’s Monterey County Parks Reconnaissance Survey and Context Statement of Agricultural Resources In The South County Planning Area (2009)... This historic context statement addresses the following place, time and themes: Monterey County: Monterey County is a large, geographically and geologically diverse region of California. This diversity strongly influences the type of agricultural pursuits that have occurred there over the past few centuries. Recognizing this diversity, Monterey County commissioned three separate historic context statements to uncover the agricultural history of the North County Planning Area, Salinas Valley and South County Planning Area. The North County encompasses about 72,720 acres of the southern Pajaro Valley and the northern Salinas Valley, including the communities of Castroville, Moss Landing, Prunedale, Pajaro, Las Lomas and part of Aromas. The Salinas Valley survey area focused on unincorporated areas in a limited region between Salinas and Soledad, covering about 271,349 acres and the communities of Salinas, Spreckels, Chualar, Gonzales and Soledad. The South County Planning Area encompasses approximately 819,840 acres, including the communities of San Lucas, San Ardo, Bradley, Jolon, Lockwood, Parkfield, Hames Valley, Priest Valley, Peachtree Valley, Bryson and Hesperia. The previous historic context statements did not cover the communities of Greenfield and King City, but the Agricultural Resources Evaluation Handbook includes them. Pre-History to 1960: The agricultural history chapter reviews the settlement of Monterey County by time period, discussing the Ohlone, Esselen and Salinan people (ca. 5000 B.C.-ca. 1870), the Spanish Period (1769-1822), the Mexican Period (1822-1848) and American Settlement (1848-1960). Other books and reports discuss the Salinan, Esselen, Ohlone, Spanish and Mexican periods in great detail, so this historic context statement focuses on agricultural developments during those periods that have left an imprint on the cultural landscape. The Agricultural Resources Evaluation Handbook focuses primarily on extant properties from the American period, because they constitute most of what remains in today’s built environment. The themes that tell the story of Monterey County agriculture are: Extensive Agriculture; Intensive Agriculture; Corporate Agriculture; Agricultural Colonies; Processing and Distribution; and Community Development. Chapter 5: Historic Themes, Associated Property Types, Eligibility Criteria and Integrity Thresholds discusses these themes in detail, focusing primarily on extant historic properties. Many ethnic and cultural groups have played a significant role in Monterey County’s agricultural history, including the Irish, Chinese, Japanese, Italians, French, Danes, Croatians, Swiss, Dust Bowl migrants, Filipinos, Mexicans and many others. Their contributions are discussed throughout the historic context statement." Funding was provided in part by a 2010 Historic Preservation Fund grant to the County of Monterey (project number CA-10-42) administered by the California State Historic Preservation Office (grant number 06-10-21911) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Monterey County, California is a Certified Local Government.

Agricultural Resources Evaluation Handbook, Monterey County, California

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