Monterey State Historic Park is celebrating California State Parks Week, June 10-14! Don't miss the opening reception for a new exhibit entitled Shipwrecks: Every Broken Piece Tells a Story, at Casa Gutierrez Community Art Gallery. All are welcome to join us on Thursday, June 11, 5:30pm-7pm, for sea shanties, light refreshments, and an exhibit preview.

Can't make it to the reception? Come see the exhibit during regular gallery hours, 11am-4pm on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the summer.

About the Exhibit

For hundreds of years -- during the Spanish, Mexican and early American eras -- seafaring vessels have utilized the natural harbor of Monterey to bring goods into the region. Due to treacherous hazards including offshore rocks, unexpected squalls, and visibility-smothering fog, many a ship has called Monterey Bay its final resting place.

This new exhibit, Shipwrecks: Every Broken Piece Tells a Story, showcases the park’s collection of shipwreck-related artifacts including never-before-displayed wooden pieces from The Natalia, Monterey’s most notable Mexican-era shipwreck. Panels and artifacts tell the stories behind other local wrecks, the Roderick Dhu and the Commodore Rodgers, along with the Alice Ball and the Casco, two vessels with connections to the park that sunk in other regions.

About California State Parks

California State Parks provides for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation. Learn more.

Photo Courtesy of California State Parks - Monterey District, Casa Soberanes Collection