The History Center Museum is closed due to the coronavirus. In the meantime, enjoy our “Signs of Times Past” exhibit on the outside of the building or view the website’s virtual tour of our current museum gallery. If you have a donation of photos or memorabilia, please leave a message for our Collections Committee at (831) 659-5715.
Mission: Preserving and promoting the unique history and heritage of Carmel Valley for current and future generations
Carmel Valley Historical Society
P.O. Box 1612
Carmel Valley, CA 93924
Send us a message
Museum Hours
Saturdays, 1 to 4 pm
Sundays, 11 am to 2 pm
Library Hours
By appointment only
831-659-5715
This publication is a history of Carmel Valley’s Roads and Transportation systems from its earliest ox-drawn, wood-wheeled wagons to current day. It features rare photographs of the Valley’s roads and bridges as well as mudslides and floods of the last century. An interesting chapter of this history is a list of the roads never built.
Cachagua Fire is an all-volunteer organization that has been serving the eastern Carmel Valley area of Cachagua ever since it was first established in 1975. Many of us, however, do not know much about its proud history. A comprehensive history of the department recounts its early days to present. It includes many photos of volunteers in training or during actual emergencies. If you wish to support or donate to the Cachagua Volunteer Firefighters, please contact them at P.O. Box 404, Carmel Valley, CA 93924 or through their website at 
Originally part of K. D. Mathiot’s Rancho Carmelo Dude Ranch established in 1928, The BUCKET tavern provided local residents with food and spirits in an old west atmosphere from the 1930s through the 1960’s. Locals referred to the tavern as the “Bucket of Blood” due to the many fights that were said to have occurred there. It was one of the last real cowboy taverns in Carmel Valley.
John and Attilio Berta emigrated from the Maggia River Valley in Ticino, an Italian canton in Switzerland that had a rugged terrain, many vineyards and dairy farms similar to Carmel Valley’s. The couple were part of a large migration to America and Australia in the late 19th century due to food shortages and economic hardships in Europe. The Berta Ranch was established in 1887 and for the next 112 years John Berta and his family helped shape the history and character of Carmel Valley. This is a story of courage, hardship, good times, and true grit.
From its beginnings in the late 1920s, this history tells the story of the Robles del Rio Subdivision through to the present. It covers the layout, the original sales office, the Robles del Rio Water Co., the famous Robles del Rio Lodge and Ridge Restaurant, the Lodge fire, and Rosie’s Cracker Barrel. Its story is told using many rare photos, adding a dramatic visual aspect to its history.
The mid-20th Century saw many working cattle ranches in Carmel Valley. These ranches evolved out of the open range Mexican Land Grants of 19th Century California. Cattle were rounded up by horse and rider, a method predating California statehood and still in use today. The heyday of California’s open-range cattle business was relatively brief in the few decades after the Civil War, but it shaped much of today’s ranching and ranch cultures.
This detailed look into the brands and branding of Carmel Valley was assembled by Historical Society volunteer Jeff Ohlson in the 2015-2016 time period. Originally a powerpoint presentation given by Steve and Mollie Dorrance of Dorrance Ranches, Salinas, CA, this document covers all aspects of branding. Covered are skills required in the branding corral, pro’s & con’s of hot vs. cold branding, brand designs, how to read a brand, branding in the 1970s vs today, inoculations, ear marking, and other details of the branding corral.
The Carmel Vintage Airfield and the community that surrounds it have coexisted since the 1940s. The airfield was originally developed by Monterey entrepreneur and real estate developer Byington “By” Ford and his brother Tirey in 1941. Public-use flying was ended in 2002 after 60+ years. Today the airfield is for sale and used for staging emergency operations. This book tells its memorable history and that of the big dreamers who’ve owned and leased the property.
One of the oldest organizations in Carmel Valley, the Tularcitos Fire Protection District was formed in 1946 by post-World War II veterans and residents who were instrumental in the early development of Carmel Valley. Its name was changed to the Carmel Valley Fire Protection District in 1957. Over the 50+ years of its operating life its volunteer firefighters were not only involved in emergency response but were also enthusiastic supporters of the community, raising significant monies for local organizations and donating time and effort to worthy causes. This book captures the fleeting history of this enduringly prideful and dedicated group of volunteer firefighters.
From the Ventana Wilderness, the Carmel River descends 36 miles through steep canyons into the spreading Carmel Valley. Rain-gorged in spring, it rushes to the Pacific Ocean at Carmel Bay. For millennia native tribes fished along the river, named the Rio Carmelo in 1602 by explorer Sebastian de Vizcaino. Ranches, dairies, and farms thrived under Spanish, Mexican and finally American flags.
The Jamesburg Earth Station (JES) is located in Cachagua, eleven miles east of Carmel Valley Village. In operation from 1969 to1990 it brought significant historical TV events to the world such as the Apollo 11 moon landing, Elvis Presley’s Blue Hawaii concert (the first ever televised concert), and President Richard Nixon’s historic meeting with Mao Zedong. This book provides a rare glimpse into how and why Carmel Valley’s Jamesburg Earth Station was built and how it played a part in the worldwide telecommunications network.
In 1962 Marilyn Sanders (1932-2018) and her husband Jim settled in Carmel Valley where they raised their family and were both very active in community affairs. Having had a long penchant for history, she wrote her history of Rosie’s Cracker Barrel in the 1990s and it became a best seller on the Peninsula. It mostly was based on the many oral histories that she collected from individuals closely connected with Rosie or his now famous Cracker Barrel which is now on the County’s Registry of Historical Landmarks.
The Piazzoni Ranch was one of the oldest in Carmel Valley, having been homesteaded in the latter part of the 19th Century. Swiss-born Luigi Piazzoni and his half Rumsien /Esselen Indian wife Tomasa (nee Manjarres) had nine children, all born and raised on the Piazzoni Ranch. Daughters Irene, Alice, Helen, and Edith were cowgirls through and through and, with their only brother Louie, participated in the 1913 San Francisco parade that heralded in the first California rodeo. They took San Francisco by storm, parading down Market Street and then on through Oakland. You will find in these pages the compelling story of one of the most important pioneering families of Carmel Valley.
