Bardin There were several railroad stops or stations in northern Montery County which bore the name of the Bardin family. On the Monterey & Salinas Valley Railroad Company's line, Bardin was located between Castroville Crossing and Salt Lagoon, and on the Pajaro Valley Railroad and its successor, the PVCRR, there were two stops, each with a siding for loading sugar beets, bearing the Bardin name. The H. Bardin stop was 6.2 m from Spreck­els and 21 m from Watsonville between Clausen and Porter. The C. Bardin stop was 7.5 m from Spreckels and 19.7 m from Watsonville between Porter and Blanco. James Bardin was born in North Carolina January 16, 1810, moved to Alabama and then to Mississippi where he stayed until he left for California in 1855; crossing the plains he reached Yreka August 11, 1855, and immediately went to the Salinas Valley; his family followed the next year. In Mississippi he married Lucinda Walker in April 1842; they had ten children. Upon arrival in Salinas Valley he bought 1220 acres of the Rancho Rinc6n de las Salinas from Rafael Estrada, and over the years he and his sons Jesse, William, Henry, James, Charles, and Benjamin acquired extensive holdings, principally around the tiny settlement of Blanco. In 1861 the Monterey County Board of Supervisors granted Bardin a franchise to operate a ferry across the Salinas at a place known as Antons Crossing (q.v.). In the Great Register the Bardins are listed, each as a farmer with residence at Blanco: James (Sr.), born in North Carolina, registered on April 13, 1882; Jesse, born in Mississippi, registered February 1, 1882; William, born in Mississippi, registered January 30, 1882; Henry, born in Mississippi, registered December 20, 1881; and Benjamin, born in Mississippi, registered December 20, 1881. Charles was born on the Bardin ranch February 1, 1859. They all became active in local affairs, particularly the son James A. Bardin, who bought the property formerly owned by Hartnell in Alisal, became a judge of the Superior Court, and was prominent in Salinas civic affairs.
When the plans for the Bardin Hospital at Salinas were presented to the generous donor, the main entrance bore the inscription 'James Bardin Hospital.' He said he had been old 'Jim' Bardin for forty years, and it was going to be the 'Jim' Bardin Hospital, and thus the inscription is going to read. - Pajaronian, March 15, 1906
The hospital was located on the E side of Main Street at the comer of John Street; it was later moved to Avenue A. According to one story, after a short period as a hospital, it was converted into a rooming house which became known as "Bachelor's Hotel." Another account tells that Dr. Henry C. Murphy took over Bardin Hospital in 1929, renaming it Murphy Convalescent Hospital. In 1931 it became the Park Lane Hospital and eventually evolved into the Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital. James Bardin died in 1932. His wife died November 29, 1878.