Salinas:
arly settlers built the "Halfway House" beside the stage road from San Juan Batista and Monterey in 1856.
It was a resting place for travelers in need of shelter and supplies. This became the beginning of the
city of Salinas.
The community grew and prospered. In 1974, the name, Salinas, meaning salt marshes, was derived from
that of the nearby river. Salinas' crossroads location has assured its role as a commercial and
agricultural center of the three-county area. Economically, agriculature is the prime mover in Salinas.
The geography of the area has been the principal influence on the economic development of the city,
sustained by the agricultural production of the rich valley fam lands and bolstered by excellent grazing
land in the foothills of the mountain ranges on each side of the valley.
The fertile Salinas Valley produces such enormous quantities of fruits and begetables annually that it
has earned its title.
The celebrated American novelist, John Steinbeck, who won the 1940 Pulitzer Prize for the "Grapes of
Wrath" and was the 1963 Nobel Prize recipient for Literature, was born in Salinas. Much of his
inspiration came from his youth spent in Salinas and on the Monterey Peninsula.
Salinas is also the home of the California Rodeo, the state championships, which takes place each July.