Monterey in Monterey County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

One Man, Two Worlds

Historic Cannery Row

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, April 23, 2012

1. One Man, Two Worlds Marker

[Photograph captions; top] Photograph by Bryane Fitch, courtesy of Pat Hathaway, California Views, [bottom left] Photograph of Ed Richett’s Pacific Biological Laboratories by Fred Strong, courtesy of Ed Ricketts Jr. and the Monterey Public Library, California History Room, [bottom right] The Edward Ricketts Memorial.

Inscription.
Doc, the legend
John Steinbeck used his close friend and collaborator, Edward Ricketts, as a model for the famous fictional character Doc. In the novels Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday, set in the 1930s and 1940s, the kindly Doc is a gentle, insightful and observant philosopher-scientist who lives and works on the street that has become the world-famous Cannery Row.

Ed Ricketts, the scientist
Ed Ricketts was a serious and dedicated scientist. He researched the tide pools of the West Coast from Canada to Mexico, studying the interrelationships of marine species, and worked to develop an ecological philosophy of life. His book Between Pacific Tides, a pioneering sturdy of intertidal communities originally published in 1939, continues to be used by students of marine biology.

The Edward Ricketts Memorial
A monument to Ed Ricketts stands near Cannery Row, at the intersection of Drake Avenue and Wave Street. There, on the evening of May 8, 1948, while driving across the railroad tracks, Ricketts was struck by a train. He was nearly 51. Devastated by his friend’s death, Steinbeck wrote, “There dies the greatest man I have known and the best teacher. It is going to take a long time to reorganize my thinking and my planning without him.”

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list: Science & Medicine. A significant historical date for this entry is May 8, 1917.

Location. 36° 37.026′ N, 121° 54.079′ W. Marker is in Monterey, California, in Monterey County. Marker is on Cannery Row near Bruce Aris Way (Irving Avenue). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 799 Cannery Row, Monterey CA 93940, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Real “Docs” (here, next to this marker); A Day in the Canneries (a few steps from this marker); The Spanish Community (a few steps from this marker); The Japanese Community (a few steps from this marker); Ed Ricketts’s Backyard (within shouting distance of this marker); The Filipino Community (within shouting distance of this marker); Science (within shouting distance of this marker); Jone Quock Mui (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Monterey.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. To better understand the relationship, study each marker in the order shown.

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, April 23, 2012

2. One Man, Two Worlds Marker

Ed Ricketts's Pacific Biological Labratories image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, April 23, 2012

3. Ed Ricketts's Pacific Biological Labratories

Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2018. It was originally submitted on May 7, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 691 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 7, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.