Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Slovenia mushroom foraging
Slovenia • 6 days, 5 nights
Forest to Table in Alpine Slovenia
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Baloba Munja Mandir
Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The first photo of the “woolly devil” made a stir among botanists when Deb Manley uploaded it to iNaturalist in March 2024.
How the Woolly Devil, Member of a New Plant Genus, Was Discovered on a Hike in Big Bend
about 1 hour ago
You don’t need to go to Turkey to see hundreds of hot air balloons rising.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Find the Most Unusual Festivals in the U.S.?
1 day ago
Located in Indianola, Mississippi, Club Ebony hosted performances by blues legends like B.B. King.
How Club Ebony Helped Keep the Blues Alive in the Jim Crow South
1 day ago
Spot Gentoos and other species of penguins waddling, swimming, and diving from icebergs.
Adventure at Sea: An Explorer’s Guide to Antarctica
1 day ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California Monterey Doc Ricketts Memorial

Doc Ricketts Memorial

Fake rail crossings mark the site of an influential doctor's demise.

Monterey, California

Added By
Martin Schmidt
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
People always put fresh flowers in Doc’s hand.   Martin / Atlas Obscura User
People always put fresh flowers in Doc’s hand.   Martin / Atlas Obscura User
If there had actually been a crossing signal there at the time, Doc would have lived much longer.   Martin / Atlas Obscura User
The memorial to Ed Ricketts, whose car was struck by a train at this spot   Martin / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

A collision at this site took the life of a reluctant celebrity.

Ed Ricketts was a marine biologist, the owner of Pacific Biological Laboratories and a pioneering ecologist. He is known to most people as the inspiration for the charater of "Doc" Ricketts in John Steinbeck's novel Cannery Row, but Ricketts was actually a published author in his own right, having written two books on marine biology: Between Pacific Tides and Sea of Cortez. A deeply contemplative and intellectual individual, Ricketts also wrote several treatises on philosophy, although only one of these was published during his lifetime. His lab was often a gathering place for writers, artists and musicians, counting among its guests Joseph Campbell, Henry Miller, and of course Steinbeck himself.

On May 8, 1948, Ricketts was driving home for dinner after a day's work at the lab. His car was old and noisy and he didn't hear the passenger train, the Del Monte Express, as it approached from behind the adjacent warehouses. As he crossed the railroad tracks at Drake Street his car was struck by the train. Ricketts lived for three more days in the hospital and died on May 11, three days short of his 51st birthday.

Today the railroad tracks are long gone, replaced by a pedestrian walking trail. A bust of Ricketts stands at the site together with a railroad crossing signal (repurposed from elsewhere) as a memorial to the man who inspired Steinbeck and so many others. A grassroots tradition has arisen of passersby putting fresh wildflowers in the statue's hand.

Related Tags

Statues Film Monuments Memorials Literature Memento Mori

Know Before You Go

The Ricketts memorial is at the western corner of Wave St. and Drake Ave.

Community Contributors

Added By

Martin

Published

October 5, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Ricketts
  • http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=27552156
Doc Ricketts Memorial
Drake Ave. and Wave St.
Monterey, California, 93940
United States
36.612439, -121.898551
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Doc Ricketts' Lab

Monterey, California

miles away

Jellyfish Exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey, California

miles away

Sloat Monument

Monterey, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Monterey

Monterey

California

Places 14
Stories 6

Nearby Places

Doc Ricketts' Lab

Monterey, California

miles away

Jellyfish Exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey, California

miles away

Sloat Monument

Monterey, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Monterey

Monterey

California

Places 14
Stories 6

Related Places

  • Monument Arthur Rimbaud

    Marseille, France

    Monument Arthur Rimbaud

    "Drunken ship" sculpture memorializing the French poet in the city where he died.

  • Lyon, France

    Saint Exupéry Monument

    This statue stands in honor of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the French author of 'The Little Prince' and an aviation hero.

  • The Rakovac memorial from the knees up

    Poreč, Croatia

    Joakim Rakovac Memorial

    A monument to one of Croatia's famous freedom fighters.

  • A group of teenagers hug a bronze statue with a baseball cap

    Hudiksvall, Sweden

    Bosse Östlin Statue

    A heated sculpture pays tribute to an actor who loved hugs.

  • Everard t’Serclaes Monument

    Brussels, Belgium

    Everard t'Serclaes Monument

    A shining memorial to a Belgian hero is said to bring luck to anyone who touches it.

  • Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

    Statue of Sallie Ann Jarrett

    The beloved, war-tested mascot of a Union regiment graces their battlefield monument.

  • The spiral is meant to evoke a roll of film.

    Beverly Hills, California

    'Celluloid' Monument

    A tribute to the movie stars who fought to keep Beverly Hills separate from Los Angeles.

  • Wellington Monument (Statue of Achilles).

    London, England

    Wellington Monument

    This once-controversial and slightly confusing statue of Achilles was built out of captured cannons.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.