Cannery Row, Monterey, California
A Pathfinder

Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream. Cannery Row is the gathered and scattered, tin and iron and rust and splintered wood, chipped pavement and weedy lots and junk heaps, sardine canneries of corrugated iron, honky-tonks, restaurants and whore-houses, and little crowded groceries, and laboratories and flop-houses. Prologue to Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, 1945

Table of Contents

Introduction

This pathfinder is aimed at any university student interested in studying all aspects of Cannery Row and how it fits into the history and current importance of Monterey, California. Cannery Row exists because during the early 1900's there was a huge fishing boom and a group of canneries became extremely successful. This pathfinder follows a general timeline of the fishing industry in Monterey and the people who were involved in it. The Costanoan, or Ohlone Indians lived in the Monterey and San Francisco Bay Areas until the mid 1800's when large numbers of Europeans began arriving and joining the Spanish and Mexicans already settled in this part of California. These Native American tribes were the first people to take advantage of the incredible abundance of sea life that the Monterey Bay had to offer. By the late 1800's, the Chinese had established a fishing village a few miles south of where Cannery Row stands today. Soon after, the Italians, mainly Sicilians, did the same. Both used fishing methods that they had used back in their home countries and had great success. From 1900 until about 1950 Monterey Bay and Cannery Row provided more fish, particularly sardines, than any other part of North America. Due to over fishing, the sardines very quickly disappeared and the canneries shut down, completely changing the town forever.

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Scope

This pathfinder covers Cannery Row from its earliest beginnings as a Native American home, to its value as a tourist destination today. The resources included in this pathfinder are meant to touch on most of the historical aspects as well as some of the current issues of the area. In order to accomplish this, several types of sources are listed to provide coverage of the fisheries, the people (from fishermen to businessmen to writers) and some of the major problems faced over time by the area. All the sources in the pathfinder can be found in the libraries at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and at Duke University in Durham.

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Library of Congress Subject Headings

California-History-Societies, etc.-Directories
California-History, Local
Cannery Row (Monterey, CA)
Chinese Americans-California--Bibliography
Chinese Americans-California-Monterey Bay Region--History
Fisheries-California-San Francisco Bay Area--History
Historic Sites--California
Indians of North America-Social Life and Customs--California
Monterey Bay Region (CA)-Ethnic Relations--History
Monterey (CA)-History
Oceanography-Charts, diagrams, etc.
Ohlone Indians-Bibliography
Pacific Coast -History-Collected Works
Ricketts, Edward Flanders, 1896-1948-Homes and Haunts-California Monterey
Sardine Fisheries-California-Monterey
Sardine Industry-California-Monterey-History
Steinbeck, John 1902-1968-Homes and Haunts-California-Monterey
Steinbeck, John 1902-1968--Periodicals
Streets-California--Monterey
Streets-California-Monterey-History

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Browsing Areas

These five sections of Davis Library at UNC and Perkins Library at Duke are where most of the relevant sources in this pathfinder, as well as related material, can be found.

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Frequently Mentioned Texts

The texts in this section were chosen based on the fact that they are mentioned multiple times in the rest of the sources in the pathfinder.

Delkin, James Ladd. Monterey Peninsula. American Guide Series. San Francisco: Hooper Printing Co., 1946.
Duke Perkins 917.3 F293, Cal-M (1941)
Davis F869.M7 W75 1946
This guide was originally published in 1941. It is a tourist guide to the Monterey Peninsula compiled by the North California Writers' Project with maps, photographs, and woodcut illustrations by Mallette Dean. This is a wonderful source because it was written at a time when the canneries were still in operation. There are photos and descriptions of the fishermen and their homes, descriptions of the sights and smells of Cannery Row, a history of the major canneries, and an explanation of the canning process itself. Cannery Row is described as the "Center of operations of Monterey's sardine-canning and sardine-reduction industry-whose annual output is unequalled elsewhere in the world" (Delkin, p.121, 1946). There are several appendices at the back of the book. The first is a fairly extensive time line of events of the Monterey peninsula beginning in 1542 and ending in 1946. Next a glossary of Spanish words and names is provided, followed by the bibliography, then an alphabetical index.

Hemp, Michael Kenneth. Cannery Row, The History of Old Ocean View Avenue. Monterey, CA: The History Company, 1986.
Davis F869.M7H35
Fourth floor stacks
Hemp is the executive director and research historian of the Cannery Row Foundation. This book is truly a photo-history of Cannery Row, containing 60,000 images. The book is divided into thirty sections. Each section contains a brief written introduction, but the rest of the book is made up of black and white photographs. These photos show the canneries both inside and out, the Cannery workers, the fishing boats, as well as the fires that destroyed the canneries after the sardines were gone. The first-known photograph of what became Ocean View Avenue, taken in the early 1880's, opens the book. The time period covered in the book begins in the early 1850's when the first Chinese fishing village was established, and goes until 1953, five years after the canneries were shut down. Directions are given on how to obtain copies of these captivating photographs.

Steinbeck, John. Cannery Row. New York: Viking Penguin Inc., 1986.
Davis PS3537.T3234 C3 1986
Eighth floor stacks
Viking Press Inc. originally published Cannery Row in 1945. This novel is what brought widespread recognition to Cannery Row and inspired the draw of tourists. Steinbeck spent a lot of time on Cannery Row, especially with his best friend Ed "Doc" Ricketts, to whom the novel is dedicated. Some of the main characters of the novel, such as Doc, were based on real-life characters whom Steinbeck encountered. Cannery Row provides wonderful descriptions of Cannery Row and Monterey, of the different types of people living and working in the area, as well as the social commentary that is a part of Steinbeck's style. In 1953 the town of Monterey named the part of Ocean View Avenue that had housed the canneries, Cannery Row, in honor of Steinbeck and his novel.

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Guides, Encyclopedias and Directories

Most of the books in this section provide listings and a summary of historic spots in California. The pages that focus on Monterey County, or that mention Cannery Row specifically are pointed out. Also included is an encyclopedia with an introduction to Native American tribes, and an atlas of the oceans which provides fishery information.

Directory of California Historical Organizations, Agencies, and Museums. Cupertino, CA: The Publication Committee of the California Council for the Promotion of History, 1991.
Davis F856.D57 1991
Fourth floor stacks
This directory begins with a map of California counties. The text is then organized alphabetically by county. Each entry gives a short description of what the institution is and does, as well as hours of operation and contact information. There are eleven indices at the back of the book including: archives, government, statewide, etc. Multiple indices make searching much easier. This is a good guide to find the locations of archival materials in Monterey County. The entries for Monterey County are found on pages 104-110.

The Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. Sharon Malinowski, Anna Sheets, Eds. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1998.
Davis Reference E77.G15 1998 v.4
Row 21 across from the card catalog
This encyclopedia is a notable source for an introduction to Native American tribes. Basic details and information on Native American Tribes are provided, each volume representing a different region of the United States. Each volume is organized alphabetically by tribe name. It is clearly divided into subsections, including an introduction, culture, and current issues, some of which are further divided still. Especially interesting facts or dates are displayed in bordered spaces throughout the pages. The bibliography that comes at the end of each tribe's heading is thorough and helpful. Each article is clearly signed as well. The table of contents for volume four is organized into region, California, Pacific Northwest, and Pacific Islands. Each volume includes the table of contents for the other volumes making searching quicker and easier. There is an alphabetical index by tribe name at the end of volume four. The section on the Costanoan/Ohlone is on pages 50-55.

Hoover, Mildred Brooke, Rensch, Hero Eugene, Rensch, Ethel Grace. Historic Spots in California. 4th ed. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1990.
Davis F862.H57 1990
Fourth floor stacks
Originally published in three volumes: The Southern Counties (1932), Valley and Sierra (1933), Counties of the Coastal Range (1937), this is a very helpful guide. It is organized alphabetically by county. Monterey County appears on pages 213-230. It lists several historical buildings and parts of the county, including Cannery Row and Old Monterey. Each entry gets anywhere from a paragraph description to over a page. The entry summarizes why the place is important, and how it came to be that way. Within each county, the entries are organized chronologically. At the end of the book is a detailed bibliography arranged by county and an alphabetical index. This format makes finding information and further sources straightforward.

The Times Atlas of The Oceans. Couper, Alastair ed. New York, VanNostrand Reinhold Co., 1983.
Geological Sciences Library Stacks
Folio G2800.T5 1983 r.2
Although this entire atlas is very interesting, the only pages that relate to Monterey Bay and Cannery Row are pages 98 - 100. There the book focuses on Pacific fisheries. The importance of the sardine fishing industry in Monterey California is specifically mentioned, including information on its output, decline, and reasons for the decline. A slightly complicated map of the Pacific fishing areas spans those pages as well.

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Bibliographies

The bibliographies listed below provide comprehensive citations of sources having to do with California, Costanoan/Ohlone Indians, and the Chinese population in California, specifically the Bay Area.

Hansen, Gladys C. The Chinese in California, A Brief Bibliographic History. Portland, Richard Abel and Company Inc, 1970.
Davis Z1261.H25
Eighth floor stacks
This bibliography covers publications from 1850-1968 contained in the San Francisco Public Library. The introduction explains the history of the Chinese in California and how they have been a significant part of the labor force since the beginnings of the state. Included are several entries on the Monterey County fishing industry. For each entry, bibliographic information is given along with a paragraph or so description of each work. This book also has a good index and an informative introduction.

Rocq, Margaret Miller. California Local History; A Bibliography and Union List of Library Holdings. Second edition. Stanford, Stanford University Press, 1970.
Davis Z1261.R63 1970
Eighth floor stacks
This bibliography was originally published in 1950 as, California Local History: A Centennial Bibliography. Monterey county citations are on pages 160-172. This book gives bibliographic details and a one or two line description of the source.

Rocq, Margaret Miller. California Local History; A Bibliography and Union List of Library Holdings. Supplement to the Second edition. Stanford, Stanford University Press, 1976.
Davis Z1261.R63 1970
Eighth floor stacks
This supplement is set up in exactly the same way as the second edition. Monterey county headings can be found on pages 38-39.

Teixeira, Lauren S. The Costanoan/Ohlone Indians of the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Area: A Research Guide. Menlo Park, CA: Ballena Press, 1997.
Davis E99.C8744.T45 1997
Fourth floor stacks
This concise guide is very good for academic research. It offers a comprehensive level of detail, is clearly divided into subcategories, although the contact information is not always clear in the citations. Teixeira gathered her material by combing through libraries and archives, and by reading through the diaries and journals left by the explorers and missionaries who first came to California. She also spoke with Costanoan descendents, some of whose photographs appear in the book. This guide begins with a short history of the tribe, then lists recommended sources. The sources are divided into well-defined sections: Ethnohistory, Anthropology, Specialized, etc. A paragraph or two of information on each source is provided. There is no index but the book is quite small and each citation has a bold-faced title so it is fairly easy to flip or skim through.

Weber, Reverend Francis J. A Bibliography of California Bibliographies. Los Angeles. The Ward Ritchie Press, 1968.
Davis Z1261.W4
Eighth floor stacks
This is a very small bibliography, only 39 pages long, 10 of which describe the book and the process and importance of putting it together. Its small size makes it extremely easy to flip through to find helpful sources. The entries are alphabetical by author and consist of brief sentences describing each source.

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Histories

The histories listed below cover a range of topics. There are several that focus on Cannery Row and provide a great amount of detail just on that subject. Two focus on the issue of ethnicity and immigrants in Monterey, which is strongly tied to the story of the canneries. There is also a book that focuses on the fishing industry of Cannery Row, without the personal anecdotes and photographs that the other books provide.

Knox, Maxine, Mary Rodriguez. Steinbeck's Street: Cannery Row. San Rafael. Presidio Press, 1980.
Davis PS3537.T3234 Z7164
Eighth floor stacks
This book is a fantastic history of Cannery Row. It includes sepia toned photographs every few pages, and many of the photographs are different from the ones in Hemp and Mangelsdorf. This book is organized as an easy-to-read timeline explaining how and when Cannery Row came to be, who the people involved in its development were, and its demise in the mid 1900's. Included are many personal stories, and a view of Cannery Row as it was in 1980 when the book was written. Recipes for cooking with sardines are even included. While it is informative, well written and engaging, this book has no bibliography and offers no insight into the experience and expertise of the authors.

Lydon, Sandy. Chinese Gold: The Chinese in the Monterey Bay Region. Capitola, CA: Capitola Book Company, 1985.
Duke Perkins 979.471 L988 C539 1985
Second floor stacks
This book is extremely important to any study of Cannery Row because of the crucial role that the Chinese played in the growth and success of Monterey and of Cannery Row. There are photographs and a lot of detail that is not covered in other sources. The author worked with the Chinese Historical Society of America, received a National Endowment for Humanities Summer Fellowship, a grant from Sourriseau Academy of San Jose State University, and a Fellowship for College Teachers from the National Endowment for the Humanities for the work done on this book.

Mangelsdorf, Tom. A History of Steinbeck's Cannery Row. Santa Cruz, CA: Western Tanager Press, 1986.
Davis PS3537.T3234 Z726 1986
Eighth floor stacks
The introduction to this book provides one of the best available explanations of Cannery Row. The rest of the book is an extremely comprehensive and readable history of the Row. Some maps and tables, as well as photographs help to illuminate the text. This book has more of a focus on facts and numbers than on stories and anecdotes. It contains more details of the governmental and business side of the canneries, subjects which most of the other histories mentioned here just don't delve into. There is an index and a relatively short bibliography divided by type of source. It is unfortunate that more information on both the author and the sources that he chose to use is not given since the book seems to be extremely thorough and authoritative.

Margolin, Malcom. The Ohlone Way: Indian Life in the San Francisco - Monterey Bay Area. Berkeley, CA: Heyday Books, 1978.
Davis E99.C8744 M373 1978
Fourth floor stacks
Some of the best parts of this book are the wonderfully detailed and imaginative illustrations done by Michael Harney. He attempts to illustrate what the world of the Ohlone may have looked like. The book itself is fascinating, easy to read, and sad. It is divided into four parts: Part I is "The Ohlone and their land" (food and lifestyle), Part II is "Life in a small society" (family life, customs, chiefs), Part III is "The world of the spirit" (Shamans, death, crafts), and Part IV is "Modern Times" (what happened to the Ohlone). Also included is a sketched map of the known tribulets and of the language groups. Margolin got his information from journals and diaries, which were meticulously kept by explorers, ship captains and missionaries. This book provides an overview of what life was like for the Ohlone who lived along the Monterey Bay, how they related to each other, to the land, and to the animals.

McEvoy, Arthur F. The Fisherman's Problem: Ecology and the Law in the California Fisheries 1850-1980. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986.
Davis SH222.C3 M36 1986
Seventh floor stacks
Although parts of this book are a bit dry, it is very informative and there are some instructive tables and photographs. The tables tend to show how many of what type of fish was caught during what time period. These tables really illustrate the fairly rapid decline in numbers. The photographs are useful because they show the different fishing technologies that were used during the height of the canneries in Monterey. The author covers quite a lot of territory. He discusses fishing practices and beliefs; what led to the disappearance of the fish; how most people ignored all the warning signs; and conservation measures that were eventually taken up because there was nothing else left to do. Although this is not the easiest read, there is a very good index, the chapter headings are clear, and there are bold-faced subheadings within the chapters. All of these factors facilitate an easy search through the text to pick out some of the fine points.

Norkunas, Martha K. The Politics of Public Memory: Tourism, History, and Ethnicity in Monterey, California. New York: State University of New York Press, 1993.
Davis G155.U6 N83 1993
Fifth floor stacks
This book is a study of tourism and society in Monterey, California. Norkunas focuses on Cannery Row on pages 53-55, but there are relevant mentions and photographs of Cannery Row throughout the book. The book examines the tourist industry in Monterey and how it relates to the diversity of both the residents and tourists to the area. The author lived in Monterey for twenty months while conducting research for this book, part of the time right off of Cannery Row, so she is knowledgeable about the area. The descriptions are very detailed and interesting, but the book is definitely written as an academic study.

Schwendinger, Robert J. International Port of Call: An International Maritime History of the Golden Gate. Woodland Hills, CA: Windsor Publications Inc., 1984.
Davis VK24.C2 539 1984
Eighth floor stacks
Although this book focuses on the San Francisco Bay, it does include mention of Cannery Row on page 99 as well as detailed descriptions of Chinese and Italian fishermen, boats, and villages in Monterey, San Francisco, and elsewhere in California on pages 61-63 and 90-99. This information is useful because both the Chinese and Italians were so crucial to Cannery Row. In fact, when the canneries were opened, the Chinese and Italians both already had successful fishing villages established in the area and many of the methods used by the canneries were adopted from the Italian methods. This book is full of black and white photos, illustrations, maps and period-posters.

Walton, John. "Cannery Row: Class, Community, and Social Construction." In Reworking Class, edited by John Hall, 243-283. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997.
Davis HT609.R45 1997
Fifth floor stacks
This essay is a discussion of the different genders, ethnicities, and classes of people who worked on Cannery Row and how those distinctions affected their jobs. Walton also delves into the unions and strikes that plagued the canneries, and the injustices so many of the workers faced. The chapter contains a very good map of Cannery Row and the surrounding area with canneries and ethnic neighborhoods such as Chinatown and Spaghetti or Garlic Hill marked. There is also a table (8.1) showing the number of fishermen in Monterey divided by nationality. This book is important to any study of Cannery Row because of the problems and successes that the canneries faced based on their diversity.

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Autobiographies and Biographies

The sources listed here are all written by or about people who had direct ties to Cannery Row or the Monterey Area and who contributed greatly to its success and widespread recognition.

Powell, David C. A Fascination for Fish: Adventures of an Underwater Pioneer. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001.
Davis QL31.P69 A3 2001
This is the story of the making of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, written by one of the creators. The aquarium is housed in an original cannery, at the south end of Cannery Row. Many say that it's the aquarium that has brought people and life back to the Row. Most of this book is spent detailing the search for the fish to put into the aquarium, and the experimentation with the set-up of the actual building itself. The aquarium would have been a dream come true for Ed "Doc" Ricketts.

Stevenson, Robert Louis. Across The Plains. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1922.
Davis PR5481.H33
Seventh floor stacks
Charles Scribner's Sons originally published Across The Plains in 1892. This book chronicles Stevenson's first trip west from the Statue of Liberty, by train, to California. The second chapter is entitled "Old Pacific Capital", and was written in 1880. It provides an excellent and vivid description of Monterey. He describes the town, such as it was at that time, and the people living in it. They were mostly Mexicans and Stevenson mentions hearing only Spanish in the streets, although the Americans were the town officials. The majority of the chapter contains detailed, beautiful descriptions of the incredible beauty of the ocean and beaches and forests of Monterey.

St. Pierre, Brian. John Steinbeck, The California Years. San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 1983.
Davis PS3537.T3234 Z8668 1983
Eighth floor stacks
This book describes Steinbeck's strong emotional ties to Monterey, Pacific Grove, and Salinas. It also documents his very close friendship with Ed "Doc" Ricketts, a marine biologist who lived and had a laboratory on Cannery Row. Today the laboratory still stands on Cannery Row. Steinbeck and Ricketts spent a lot of time together and took long boat trips in order to study the marine life of the Monterey Bay. This period in Steinbeck's life, along with the sudden tragic death of Ricketts, inspired the writing of Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday.

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Journals

The journals recommended in this pathfinder all have to do with California history, fisheries, or with John Steinbeck. A selection of issues specifically related to Cannery Row and the Monterey fishing industry is named.

California History. San Francisco: California Historical Society.
Davis F856.C24
Fourth floor stacks
This is the Magazine of the California Historical Society. It is a currently received periodical at Davis, and the bound journals begin with 1978. The articles tend to be quite lengthy; about ten pages at a minimum, and the issues are full of wonderful historical photographs. Some especially useful issues are Spring of 1978, which focuses on the Chinese in California, summer of 1985 looks at Cannery Row and the role unions played in the canneries, fall of 1992 focuses on the Native Americans of California, including the Costanoan/Ohlone of the Monterey Bay area.

Pacific Historical Review. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Davis F851.P18
Fourth floor stacks
This is a currently received journal at Davis, which holds bound journals from 1939 on. It is issued quarterly by the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association. The 1939 edition has an article on the need to preserve the historical parts of Monterey. The 1942 issue contains several articles about California archives and manuscript collections, which is useful for anyone doing research on historic California.

Steinbeck Newsletter. San Jose, CA: San Jose State University Press.
Davis PS3537.T3234 Z4587
Eighth floor stacks
This journal is put out by San Jose State University, California. It is a small newsletter that has featured many articles on Cannery Row and Monterey. An especially significant issue to look at is Fall, 1995. This issue celebrates the 50th anniversary of Cannery Row. It is longer than most issues and is full of personal histories, stories, biographies, photographs and interviews of people who actually lived on, worked at, and experienced Cannery Row during its heyday. The Fall 1997 issue also has a fascinating interview with Joseph Bragdon, an ex-Cannery worker. In the Davis stacks are bound issues from 1987 - 2000.

Steinbeck Quarterly. Muncie, IN: John Steinbeck Society.
Davis PS3537.T3234 Z52 v. 1-26
Eighth floor stacks
This journal focuses mostly on Steinbeck, but many issues contain articles focusing on the Monterey area, including Cannery Row, and how his connections to those places influenced his writing and changed his life.

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Abstracts and Indexes

The American History and Life database is very useful for finding articles about Cannery Row and the history of the Monterey Bay area and its inhabitants. The database can be reached by clicking on E Indexes and Databases from the UNC Libraries homepage. Some good keywords to use while searching are: "Cannery Row", "Monterey Bay, California", and "sardines". Below are some examples of good, relevant articles found in this database.

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Dissertations

All of the abstracts listed below can be found in the Dissertation Abstracts Online database. This database can be reached through the UNC Libraries homepage. Click on E Indexes and Databases, then click on D and scroll down to Dissertation. These studies each look at different aspects of Cannery Row. E Indexes and Databases Dissertation Abstracts Online

McKibben, Carol Lynn. "Of all the gifts you gave me the most important one is that I belong". The Sicilians: Chain migration, gender, and the construction of identity in Monterey, California, 1920-1999. University of California, Berkeley, 1999.
Abstract only
This PhD dissertation is a study of the settlement, work, and treatment of the Sicilian Italian fisherman in Monterey. McKibben focuses on gender roles and identity formation of Sicilian fishermen and their families in Monterey.

Payne, Stephen Michael. Unheeded Warnings: A History of Monterey's Sardine Fishery (California). University of California, Santa Barbara 1987.
Abstract only
This PhD dissertation looks at the Monterey sardine industry from 1900-1950, it's height and it's decline. Payne looks at the different backgrounds of the different people involved in the industry, and how those backgrounds affected their attitudes and actions about the industry's situation.

Norkunas, Martha Kathleen. Tourism, History, and Ethnicity: The Politics of Public Culture in Monterey, California (Cultural Politics). Indiana University, 1990.
Abstract only
This PhD dissertation grew into the book, The Politics of Public Memory: Tourism, History, and Ethnicity in Monterey, California, mentioned earlier in this pathfinder. The dissertation examines three different areas of Monterey to find out how their current tourist configuration and success relates to their role in the history of the city.

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Other Works

Three of the sources here are videos that relate to the history and story of Cannery Row, and that show footage of the area. The other two sources are two more Steinbeck novels that describe the Cannery Row area and the inhabitants thereof.

David S. Ward (Director). Cannery Row. [Film]. MGM/UA Home Video, 1982.
UL Non-Print 65-V7219
This is the film based on the famous novels Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck. It was originally released in 1982, and stars Nick Nolte as "Doc" (Ed Ricketts), Debra Winger, and Audra Lindley. The movie focuses on a love story, but watching it, one can see footage of the beautiful Monterey Bay, and some of the beaches located directly off of Cannery Row. Some shots also show more or less what the street would have looked like in the 1950's. Since the novels take place after the canneries have already shut down, when the area was very poor and run-down, the film portrays fairly well what life must have been like at that time.

Fritz Lang. (Director). Clash By Night. [Film]. Image Entertainment Inc., 1952.
UL NonPrint 65-V5796
Clash By Night is a film starring Marilyn Monroe as a Cannery Row cannery worker. This film is mentioned in several of the histories of Cannery Row. It was an honor and a great source of excitement for the cannery workers to see Marilyn Monroe walking around wearing the same type of cannery uniform and nametag as all of them. It was filmed at the end of the life of the canneries but still offers awesome footage of the beaches, boats and canneries. The film shows how the horns would blow when the boats came in with their catches and how that would signal all the workers to come to the canneries, no matter what time it was. The nets full of sardines, the pumps that pumped them directly into the canneries, and all the women sorting, cutting and packing are shown as well. Not all the details are reliable, such as snow in Monterey and clean streets and spotlessly clean workers, but it is necessary for anyone interested in Cannery Row to watch at least the first half hour of this film.

Vincent DiGirolamo, Spencer Nakasako (Directors). Monterey's Boat People. [Film]. CrossCurrent Media, 1982.
Duke Lilly Library
Call number 3855
This is a short film about the history of Asian fishermen in the Monterey Bay. It focuses on a problem current in 1982, which was with the Vietnamese fishermen. It traces back historically to the first Chinese fishermen who truly started the canneries, then the Japanese fishermen who came, and finally the Sicilians who were much more accepted than the Asians. There is original footage to illustrate the history given in the film. The film demonstrates the racism and unfairness that these immigrants have faced in the area since they began arriving and achieving success in the mid 1800's.

Steinbeck, John. Sweet Thursday. New York: Viking Press, 1954.
Davis PS3537.T3234 S96
Eighth floor stacks
This is the continuation, or sequel novel to Cannery Row. It's not as read or well known as the latter but follows the lives of many of the same characters and continues to provide vivid descriptions of life and people on the Row.

Steinbeck, John. Tortilla Flat. New York: Viking Press, 1965.
Davis PS3537.T3234 T65 1986
Eighth floor stacks
Originally published in 1935, this novel actually takes place in the hills above the Monterey Bay. The reason it is still noteworthy is that it gives the reader a very good idea of the lifestyles during the early 1900's, and how important the ocean and fisheries were to everyone in the area, even those who did not live or work right along the Row.

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Web Resources

Below are direct links to some of the best sites that relate to Cannery Row. Their content covers both the history of the Row, explanations about the fishery issues, and current tourist information. They also provide more illustration of the Row, both present and past.

Cannery Row
This website focuses on Cannery Row today. It does have an extensive, very good history of Cannery Row section, but unlike the other sites it also lists restaurants, shops, and attractions for visitors who come to the Row today. There is a very good map showing shops, restaurants, accommodation and historical locations. The listings also include links to other websites when available, although you always stay within the canneryrow.com frame. The site is clear and organized, without a lot of distracting advertisements.

The Cannery Row Foundation
This website is put together by the Cannery Row Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation that strives to "preserve and foster historical study and interest in Cannery Row." Parts of the site are still under construction and the background is terribly distracting, but most of what is written there is helpful. There is a calendar of events, including celebrations of both John Steinbeck's and Ed Rickett's birthdays, membership information, and details on the Foundation. There is a history section that is quite comprehensive, divided into:

• Cannery Row History:
• A Brief History of Old Ocean View Avenue:
• John Steinbeck: A Brief Chronology
• Steinbeck's Books Listed By Year Written
• Ed 'Doc' Ricketts

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Courtesy of User Friendly Media Inc. November 13, 2001

Created for INLS 111 at the School of Information and Library Science at the Univeristy of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Please email Miriam Intrator at intrm@email.unc.edu with questions or comments

Last updated on December 10, 2001

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