1927 First Edition Jo Mora Pictorial Map of Monterey, California

This is the 1926 first edition of Jo Mora's pictorial map of the Monterey Peninsula - his first map and one of his rarest works. It was illustrated and published on behalf of Del Monte Properties, a resort company that operated numerous concerns throughout Monterey.

A Closer Look

Coverage extends along the coast from the Laguna Del Rey, Seaside, and the Polo Fields to Punta de los Lobos and the Carmel Highlands, thus embracing the Monterey Peninsula, 17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach, Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Carmel Highlands. The map is rich with Mora's typical hyper-local references, many of which only residents had the inside knowledge to fully appreciate.

The view is surrounded by a history of Monterey from its mapping by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo in 1542, located at the bottom center, following in a clockwise fashion, to the arrival of missionaries, then Spanish soldiers, livestock, romance between Californios and Indigenous women, the arrival of Anza, Mexican Independence, the arrival of 'El Gringo', the U.S. purchase of California, the Gold Rush, and the rise of California leisure culture.

There is significant content dedicated to Del Monte Properties, the map's sponsor, including the Hotel Del Monte, the Del Monte Golf Course, Del Monte Lodge, Del Monte Forest, and more. Hotel del Monte in Monterey, the company's grand dame, is also referenced in the historical surround, which notes its construction in 1880, burning in 1887, second burning in 1924, and reconstruction in 1926.

Del Monte Properties

Del Monte Properties was founded as the Pacific Improvement Companies by the 'Big Four' railroad magnates - Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, Charles Crocker, and Collis P. Huntington. By the early 20th century, Pacific Improvement was struggling despite holding vast swaths of premium real estate. The floundering company was taken over by Samuel Finley Brown Morse (1885 - 1969), nephew of telegraph inventor Samuel F.B. Morse. Morse strategically sold off unprofitable ventures and shifted focus to recreational real estate. With financial backing from power broker Herbert Fleishhacker, he established the Del Monte Properties Company in 1919, acquiring 7,000 acres of Monterey coastline, Rancho Laureles, the Monterey County Water Works, and the aging Hotel Del Monte. In 1919, Morse commissioned the construction of the Del Monte Lodge, which became a renowned destination for golfers drawn to his celebrated Pebble Beach Golf Links. Various owners followed, and most of the resort properties remain operational today.

Publication History and Census

This map was drafted by Jo Mora in 1926 and published by the Del Monte Properties Company. The first edition, as here, is distinguishable by the lack of a copyright, which was not filed until 1927 and appears on all subsequent states. The map is scarce in all editions, the first edition exceptionally so.