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Copyright © 2004 Brooks Leffler, All Rights Reserved
Cannery Row in Monterey was in its heyday in the late 30s when John Steinbeck wrote his best-selling novel. Sardines were the product, and they were canned by the millions each year -- until in the 40s they became scarcer and finally vanished. The Row fell on hard times, and all the canneries were closed by the mid-fifties, with antique stores and art galleries slowly taking their place. Then came the Monterey Bay Aquarium in the 80s, and everything changed. Now there are only one or two of the original buildings, and lots of new shops, restaurants, and hotels, and tourists have replaced the sardines.
The canneries were on the water side of the street, and the warehouses on the inland side, next to the railroad track. To get the cans across the street, each cannery had at least one bridge over the street.
This image captures one of the few bridges that still look original, but it also bridges the years between the old Aeneas Cannery and the new Monterey Plaza Hotel.
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