Spring 2026

130 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 6 with “1769 & 1906” on the side and “El Camino Real” on the skirt. The El Camino Real Association placed more than 400 bells along the route between 1906 and 1914. By 1960, fewer than 100 remained, victims of theft, high- way construction, collisions and just plain neg- lect. At one point, in an effort to deter theft, replacements were made of concrete. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has long been charged with their maintenance and replacement. Today, The California Bell Company is based in Saratoga and is owned by real estate broker John Kolstad. “I wanted to purchase a bell for my home and tracked down the company’s owner, Joe Rice.” Rice acquired the business in 1955, closing up shop in the early 1960s. “Joe told me he wouldn’t sell me one bell, but he would sell me the company, and I bought it in October 2000.” The sale included molds, equipment, vintage photos Photo: Courtesy of CaliforniaBell.com A team erected the first Mission Bell on Olvera Street in Los Angeles on August 15, 1906. The very same method is still used by the California Department of Transportation today. At top right is the bell in front of Colton Hall in Monterey. Photo: Matthew Kiernan/Alamy Photo: Courtesy of CaliforniaBell.com