Carmel History Facts and Timeline

(Carmel, California - CA, USA)

Surrounded by spectacular natural beauty and with a rich history, the Californian town of Carmel has long been a hub for artists, writers, actors and those devoted to the arts and culture.

First settled almost 2,000 years ago by the Esselen tribe of Native Americans, the area became the home of the Ohlone peoples in the 6th century, following wars that forced the Esselens away from the Pacific coast and into the interior of the Big Sur wilderness.

Early Colonization

The Carmel Valley was discovered by a Spanish explorer in 1602, after a coastal journey by mariner Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo some 60 years earlier had passed by without landing. Sebastian Vizcaino, a Carmelite monk, named the area for Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Full colonization took place around 170 years later, when Franciscan monks arrived with Spanish soldier Gaspar de Portola to found a mission and establish the settlement of Monterey.

The 19th Century

The capital city of California from then onwards, Monterey, along with Big Sur and the region which would become Carmel, came under Mexican rule. This change occurred in 1821, the same year Mexico gained freedom from its Spanish Colonial masters. The mission founded by the Franciscans in 1771 was transferred to the small ranching settlement of Carmel after only a year and quickly became established. It conferred on its founder, Father Serra, the title of 'Father of California'.

The Development of Cultural Carmel

California reverted to the US after the Mexican-American War, with development of Carmel's core village well under way by the early 20th century and encouraged by construction and the superb coastal location of the town. The Carmel Arts and Crafts Club was formed in 1905 to promote the arts, with the area inundated by artists, musicians, writers and theater people a year later, due to the catastrophic San Francisco earthquake. Jack London in his novel 'Valley of the Moon' described the newly-formed artists' colony of which he was a part.

By 1907, a theater was built and Carmel's rich Shakespearean tradition was born. In 1911, the first production of Twelfth Night took place, a play which has been presented regularly in the town ever since. A succession of performance venues replaced the original small building due to fires and the need for bigger seating areas, with Carmel now justly famous world-wide as much for its cultural events as for its resort facilities.

Acclaimed American novelists and poets who relocated to Carmel include Mary Austin, Robinson Jeffers and George Sterling. The tradition continued in 1986, when renowned movie actor-director Clint Eastwood became the town's mayor for a successful one-year term.

Post WWII

Since the end of WWII, Carmel has become increasingly popular as a high-end resort, capitalizing on its location and cultural history, as well as on its diverse architectural delights, including the iconic Carmel cottages. It's also famed in America for its dog-friendliness.

Art as a profession has bloomed here and the town is crammed with independent galleries, displaying the paintings and sculptures of local artists to great effect.