Soledad Historical Society

07/25/2026

07/21/2026

Our new exhibit celebrates the founding of our volunteer fire department in 1925. Stop by on Saturday, July 25th from 1:00 to 4:00. See you there!

07/16/2026

Farmers’ Market today, July 16!

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07/09/2026

Remember to visit our Farmers’ Market today, July 9!

06/25/2026

Soledad
Farmers’ Market today, June 25…
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06/11/2026

Farmers’ Market today, Thursday, June 11! Come down to shop and visit our museum
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06/04/2026

Come down to the Soledad Farmers’ Market today and stock up on fruit and veggies! While you’re there, stop by our museum at 137 Soledad Street.

05/29/2026

A native of Switzerland, John B. Meyenberg named his brand of evaporated milk after his beloved Swiss Alps, thus the name Alpine Evaporated Cream Company. Meyenberg invented the process of preserving evaporated milk. In 1904, he came to Gonzales and built a factory producing this patented process in 1906, and the milk plant's semi-diesel engines supplied the town's first electricity. By 1910, Monterey County had 45 creameries, with the second- and third-largest located in Salinas and Castroville, and these creameries also produced three million pounds of cheese. By 1915, this factory was producing 175,000 cases of evaporated milk annually. Over 7,000 cows were needed for this product to be produced, and all were milked within a five-mile radius of Gonzales. Expansion was inevitable, and the Meyenberg Milk Company added plants in Salinas and Soledad. The success of this company is evident in the fact that for the first two decades of the 1900s, dairying was the most important industry in the Salinas Valley. By 1925, Monterey County was the top dairying producer in California, with over 400 dairies and 25,400 cows being milked.