Pacific Biological Laboratories
Encyclopedia
Pacific Biological Laboratories, abbreviated PBL, was a biological supply house that sold preserved animal
s and prepared specimen microscope slide
, many were of maritime
aquatic
species, to schools, museums, and research institutions. It was located in a building on the Monterey Bay
in Monterey County, California
.
The building, activities, and business were fictionalized as "Western Biological Laboratory" by John Steinbeck
in his novel Cannery Row
, as was a character based on ones of its founders, Ed Ricketts.
with his college roommate and business partner Albert Galigher in 1923. Originally located in Pacific Grove
at 165 Fountain Avenue, the lab was moved to 740 Ocean View Avenue, Monterey, California
around January, 1930, where Ricketts became sole owner. Today, that location is 800 Cannery Row. After Ricketts developed marital problems with his first wife Anna, the lab served as Ricketts's home for some time beginning in 1936.
The lab had been a meeting place for intellectuals, artists, and writers, including Bruce Ariss
, Joseph Campbell
, Henry Miller
, John Steinbeck, Lincoln Steffens
, and Francis Whitaker
.
On November 25, 1936, a fire broke out at the Del Mar Cannery next to the lab (site of today's Monterey Bay Aquarium
) and most of the contents of the laboratory were destroyed. The manuscript for Between Pacific Tides
survived the fire as it had already been sent to Stanford University
for publication. It was Steinbeck that saved the lab financially after the fire with the purchase of half the company's stock.
The onset of World War II
led to the decline of the commercial operation of the lab, however the legacy of the specimens collected and distributed by PBL lives on. Museums throughout the United States contain specimens collected by Ricketts, including the Field Museum in Chicago, the Smithsonian Institution
, the California Academy of Sciences
, the American Museum of Natural History
, the Museum of Comparative Zoology
at Harvard University
and the Museum of Zoology at Lund University
in Sweden.
On May 14, 1997, the 100th anniversary of Ricketts' birth, a commemorative plaque was placed on the 165 Fountain Avenue location by the Pacific Grove Heritage Society and the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Association. The Pacific Biological Laboratories is on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Taxidermy
Taxidermy is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display or for other sources of study. Taxidermy can be done on all vertebrate species of animals, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians...
s and prepared specimen microscope slide
Microscope slide
A microscope slide is a thin flat piece of glass, typically 75 by 25 mm and about 1 mm thick, used to hold objects for examination under a microscope. Typically the object is placed or secured on the slide, and then both are inserted together in the microscope for viewing...
, many were of maritime
Sea
A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
aquatic
Aquatic animal
An aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract its oxygen from that dissolved in water through specialised organs called gills, or directly through its skin. Natural environments and the animals that...
species, to schools, museums, and research institutions. It was located in a building on the Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the central coast of California. The bay is south of San Francisco and San Jose, between the cities of Santa Cruz and Monterey....
in Monterey County, California
Monterey County, California
Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. As of 2010, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas...
.
The building, activities, and business were fictionalized as "Western Biological Laboratory" by John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
in his novel Cannery Row
Cannery Row (novel)
Cannery Row is an English language novel by American author John Steinbeck. It was published in 1945. A film version was released in 1982. A stage version was produced in 1995....
, as was a character based on ones of its founders, Ed Ricketts.
History
The company was started by Ed RickettsEd Ricketts
Edward Flanders Robb Ricketts commonly known as Ed Ricketts, was an American marine biologist, ecologist, and philosopher...
with his college roommate and business partner Albert Galigher in 1923. Originally located in Pacific Grove
Pacific Grove, California
Pacific Grove is a coastal city in Monterey County, California, USA, with a population of 15,041 as of the 2010 census, down from 15,522 as of the 2000 census...
at 165 Fountain Avenue, the lab was moved to 740 Ocean View Avenue, Monterey, California
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
around January, 1930, where Ricketts became sole owner. Today, that location is 800 Cannery Row. After Ricketts developed marital problems with his first wife Anna, the lab served as Ricketts's home for some time beginning in 1936.
The lab had been a meeting place for intellectuals, artists, and writers, including Bruce Ariss
Bruce Ariss
Bruce Wallace Ariss, Jr. was an American artist and writer.-Life:Bruce Ariss has been influential in Monterey, California, where a street and theatre have been named after him. In addition, he has numerous murals there, at least some of which were 1930s Works Progress Administration projects...
, Joseph Campbell
Joseph Campbell
Joseph John Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work is vast, covering many aspects of the human experience...
, Henry Miller
Henry Miller
Henry Valentine Miller was an American novelist and painter. He was known for breaking with existing literary forms and developing a new sort of 'novel' that is a mixture of novel, autobiography, social criticism, philosophical reflection, surrealist free association, and mysticism, one that is...
, John Steinbeck, Lincoln Steffens
Lincoln Steffens
-Biography:Steffens was born April 6, 1866, in San Francisco. He grew up in a wealthy family and attended a military academy. He studied in France and Germany after graduating from the University of California....
, and Francis Whitaker
Francis Whitaker
Francis Whitaker was a blacksmith in Carmel, California and, later, an artist-in-residence at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale, CO.He was born in Woburn, Massachusetts and died in Glenwood Springs, Colorado....
.
On November 25, 1936, a fire broke out at the Del Mar Cannery next to the lab (site of today's Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey Bay Aquarium
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is located on the former site of a sardine cannery on Cannery Row of the Pacific Ocean shoreline in Monterey, California. It has an annual attendance of 1.8 million visitors. It holds thousands of plants and animals, representing 623 separate named species on display...
) and most of the contents of the laboratory were destroyed. The manuscript for Between Pacific Tides
Between Pacific Tides
Between Pacific Tides is a 1939 book by Ed Ricketts and Jack Calvin that explores the intertidal ecology of the Pacific coast of the United States...
survived the fire as it had already been sent to Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
for publication. It was Steinbeck that saved the lab financially after the fire with the purchase of half the company's stock.
The onset of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
led to the decline of the commercial operation of the lab, however the legacy of the specimens collected and distributed by PBL lives on. Museums throughout the United States contain specimens collected by Ricketts, including the Field Museum in Chicago, the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, the California Academy of Sciences
California Academy of Sciences
The California Academy of Sciences is among the largest museums of natural history in the world. The academy began in 1853 as a learned society and still carries out a large amount of original research, with exhibits and education becoming significant endeavors of the museum during the twentieth...
, the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
, the Museum of Comparative Zoology
Museum of Comparative Zoology
The Museum of Comparative Zoology, full name "The Louis Agassiz Museum of Comparative Zoology", often abbreviated simply to "MCZ", is a zoology museum located on the grounds of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is one of three museums which collectively comprise the Harvard Museum...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and the Museum of Zoology at Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
in Sweden.
Preservation and Legacy
After his death the lab was bought by many of Ricketts old friends who continued meeting there every Wednesday evening very much like in the past. They sold the building to the city of Monterey in 1993. It was restored by the Cannery Row Foundation which was given the Governor's Award for Historic Preservation.On May 14, 1997, the 100th anniversary of Ricketts' birth, a commemorative plaque was placed on the 165 Fountain Avenue location by the Pacific Grove Heritage Society and the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Association. The Pacific Biological Laboratories is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.