Pirates Rogues of Monterey Bay by Todd Cook

Author:Todd Cook [Cook, Todd]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, United States, State & Local, General
ISBN: 9781467143639
Google: -_-4DwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Published: 2019-01-15T03:26:17+00:00

THE OAK

Remember our Celtic-styled stone marker on the grass plot at the corner of Pacific Street and Artillery Boulevard in Monterey? That’s the spot where one needs to stand and ponder pirate-related Vizcaíno history, because that is where “The Oak” once stood, more or less. I say that because, if you stand in front of that stone cross today, you have to imagine the ground dropping out from under you, revealing a fifteen-foot drop to the bottom of a ravine below—the waters of the bay actually would have been washing up into the entrance of the ravine below in 1602. Below the cross—about six or seven feet below today’s ground level—is where the base of the oak tree would have been, clinging to the grassy slope adjacent to the ravine. To put it another way, the site, as it appears now, is quite different than how it appeared in 1602. Back then, where the stone cross now stands there would have been a steep hillside dropping down to the bay waters. Today, the stone cross stands on a level grass plot, several yards away from the waterfront. This is because of significant landfill for railroad tracks and concrete roadways that started in the late 1800s. The ravine itself still exists—you can see it just a few paces behind the stone cross—but the ravine has filled in quite a bit since the 1600s and 1700s. It no longer empties into the bay (or it does—just a trickle’s worth—because it now has to pass through a long culvert).

As for “The Oak,” it was otherwise known as the Vizcaíno-Serra Oak because both Vizcaíno and Father Serra held mass beneath the branches of that oak in 1602 and 1770, respectively, and it stood where the stone monument now stands. Don’t look for any image or inscription about Vizcaíno on the stone monument—there is none. The monument, erected in the early 1900s, does depict, however, a Celtic-styled cross, an image of Father Serra and a rendering of the Carmel Mission. You’re probably thinking: But what happened to the historic oak tree? Well, it continued to stand over Monterey Bay until 1905, when it died. That year, utility workmen accidentally chopped down the venerated oak and tossed it in the bay. Fortunately, the main trunk was found bobbing in the bay and was fished out at the insistence of an aghast local priest. Today, trunk remnants of the historic tree can still be viewed at the Royal Presidio Chapel Heritage Center in Monterey and also at the Carmel Mission. A crude chair fashioned from remnants of the oak is also on display at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History.

I think the following bit of little-known Oak-related history is well worth mentioning. Bear in mind that the actual Vizcaíno landing date at Monterey Bay was December 17, 1602. Vizcaíno and his crew lingered at Monterey Bay to rest and explore for another two weeks—in fact, they were the first Europeans to view the Carmel Valley. They did not sail away until January 3, 1603.

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