Cannery Row Fire, 1978

A major fire on Cannery Row that originated at the Monterey Canning Company building on February 24, 1978, destroyed much of the building that included Sly McFly Bar and many other shops on what is now Steinbeck Plaza. (Monterey County Herald archives)

USS Missouri, 1987

The USS Missouri sails into Monterey Bay on July 7, 1987 to participate in the U.S. Navy Fleet Week. (Orville Myers/The Herald)

Cannery Row, 1954

Canneries on Cannery Row being dismantled on the south end where El Torito’s Restaurant is currently located. With the sardines slowly in decline in the mid-fifties this was the first sign that Cannery Row and the commercial fishing was in for a big change. Canneries that were canning squid were able to last longer as a viable business. The Hovden Cannery was one of the last canneries to exist on Cannery Row.

Carmel Valley Road, 1960

The widening of Carmel Valley Road from one lane to two, was completed at the mouth of the valley in 1960