SALINAS
When the Portolá expedition of 1769 arrived at the Salinas River, they made the first of the series of errors which caused them to pass by the bay of Monterey without recognizing it, for they mistook this stream for the Carmel. The Salinas (salt marshes), so-called for the chain of salt-water ponds lying along its course, was known by various names before a permanent one became attached to it, appearing at different times as El Río Elzeario, Santa Delfina, and El Río de Monterey.
The town of Salinas is the county-seat of Monterey County and is situated about eighteen miles east of Monterey, in the heart of an important agricultural, dairying, and sugar-beet district.