Lucia is a hamlet located 22 miles (35 km) south of Big Sur Village and 38 miles (61 km) north of Hearst Castle . The area is sparsely settled
142-603: The sole business active today is the Lucia Lodge, one of a very few along the south coast of Big Sur to offer accommodations to travelers. Lucia is miles away from any other business. Due to the remote location, gas prices are typically high. A small store and restaurant attached to the Lodge were destroyed by a fire in August 2021. Wilber Judson Harlan filed the first patent for land in the area in 1885. His family has continually resided in
284-473: A 13 miles (21 km) stretch between Anderson Canyon and Big Sur in September 1922. The region was so remote and access so poor that the company brought most of its supplies and equipment in by barge at a sheltered cove near the middle of the project. Machines were hoisted to the road level using steam-powered donkey engines . Construction required extensive excavation utilizing steam shovels and explosives on
426-479: A 25 miles (40 km) stretch of coast between the two in the 1890s. The California coast south of Posts and north of San Simeon remained one of the most remote regions in the state, rivaling at the time nearly any other region in the United States for its difficult access. Before the completion of the coast highway, Wagon Cave was used as a resting point and overnight camp site for those traveling to and from
568-756: A 50 miles (80 km) and hour-and-a-half drive to U.S. Route 101 (US 101). The remaining segment of the unpaved Old Coast Road intersects with the Coast Highway at Bixby Creek Bridge and climbs steeply inland up Cerro Hill, traversing the El Sur Ranch . It crosses the Little Sur River near the junction of the North and South forks, formerly the location of the Idlewild Hotel from about 1900 to 1921. The road then descends and rejoins Highway 1 across from
710-566: A California Scenic Highway, and was described by Australian painter Francis McComas as the "greatest meeting of land and water in the world". Condé Nast Traveler named State Route 1 through Big Sur one of the top ten world-famous streets, comparable to Broadway in New York City and the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The road itself is a destination for visitors. The Big Sur portion of Highway 1
852-430: A California state highway", calling for 12 miles (19 km) of steel guard rail and 3,649 guide posts along 46.6 miles (75.0 km) of the road. In 1941, 160 inches (410 cm) of rain fell on Big Sur, and the state considered abandoning the route. Slides were so common that gates were used to close the road to visitors at the northern and southern ends during the winter. During World War II, nighttime blackouts along
994-468: A day, where he remained the night. The next day he rode horseback over the South Coast Road with Thomas B. Slate. They reached Slates Hot Springs at about 5pm. The single-lane road was closed in winter when it became impassable. Due to the steep and narrow road, even during the summer Coast residents would receive supplies via boat from Monterey or San Francisco. Due to the limited access, settlement
1136-693: A few years, his paper dominated the San Francisco market. Early in his career at the San Francisco Examiner, Hearst envisioned running a large newspaper chain and "always knew that his dream of a nation-spanning, multi-paper news operation was impossible without a triumph in New York". In 1895, with the financial support of his widowed mother (his father had died in 1891), Hearst bought the then failing New York Morning Journal , hiring writers such as Stephen Crane and Julian Hawthorne and entering into
1278-524: A film company, Cosmopolitan Productions ; extensive New York City real estate; and thousands of acres of land in California and Mexico, along with timber and mining interests inherited from his father. Hearst promoted writers and cartoonists despite the lack of any apparent demand for them by his readers. The press critic A. J. Liebling reminds us how many of Hearst's stars would not have been deemed employable elsewhere. One Hearst favorite, George Herriman ,
1420-528: A gate. The remainder of the two-lane road south to San Copofaro Creek was opened on June 17, 1937, after 18 years of construction, aided by labor provided by the New Deal . On June 27, 1937, Governor Frank Merriam led a caravan from the Cambria Pines Lodge to San Simeon, where dedication ceremonies began. The wife of the late Senator Elmer Rigdon, who had promoted the bridge and obtained funding, dedicated
1562-610: A head-to-head circulation war with Joseph Pulitzer , owner and publisher of the New York World . Hearst "stole" cartoonist Richard F. Outcault along with all of Pulitzer's Sunday staff. Another prominent hire was James J. Montague , who came from the Portland Oregonian and started his well-known "More Truth Than Poetry" column at the Hearst-owned New York Evening Journal . When Hearst purchased
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#17330852427841704-536: A horseback trail connecting the homesteads to the south. The highway was first proposed by Dr. John L. D. Roberts, a physician who was summoned on April 21, 1894, to treat survivors of the wreck of the 493 tons (447 t) S.S. Los Angeles (originally USRC Wayanda ), which had run aground near the Point Sur Light Station about 25 miles (40 km) south of Carmel-by-the-Sea. It took him 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours on his two-wheeled, horse-drawn cart,
1846-408: A large 963 feet (294 m) high landslide slide near Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and McWay Falls that buried Highway 1 with 4,000,000 cubic yards (3,100,000 m ) of rocks and dirt. Twenty-six bulldozers worked for 22 weeks to clear the highway. The repair crews pushed the slide into the ocean which ended up creating a beach inside McWay Cove that did not exist before. It was up to that date
1988-612: A law in 1915 that allowed the state to use convict labor under the control of the State Board of Prison Directors and prison guards. In 1918, state highway engineer Lester Gibson led a mule pack train along the Big Sur coast to complete an initial survey to locate the future Coast Highway. When the convict labor law was revised in 1921, it gave control of the convicts and camps to the Division of Highways, although control and discipline remained with
2130-406: A map of his purchase in 1853. When the region was first settled by European immigrants in 1853, it was the United States' "last frontier". After California gained statehood , the trail from Carmel to Mill Creek (present-day Bixby Canyon) was declared a public road by the county in 1855. But the California coast south of Carmel and north of San Simeon remained one of the most remote regions in
2272-501: A physician and land speculator who had founded Seaside , California and resided on the Monterey Peninsula, was summoned to assist treating survivors of the wreck of the 493 tons (447 t) S.S. Los Angeles (originally USRC Wayanda ), which had run aground near the Point Sur Light Station about 25 miles (40 km) south of Carmel-by-the-Sea. The ride on his two-wheeled, horse-drawn cart took him 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours,
2414-466: A picture of the construction, he said, "Then they would have started up here at the top of the hill and made nice slopes all the way down and benched it down and you wouldn't have had all this..." Road construction necessitated construction of 29 bridges, the most difficult of which was the bridge over Bixby Creek, about 13 miles (21 km) south of Carmel. Upon completion, the Bixby Creek Bridge
2556-493: A politically motivated "scare story". In the articles, written by Thomas Walker, to better serve Hearst's editorial line against Roosevelt's Soviet policy the famine was "updated": the impression was created of the famine continuing into 1934. In response, Louis Fischer wrote an article in The Nation accusing Walker of "pure invention" because Fischer had been to Ukraine in 1934 and claimed that he had not seen famine. He framed
2698-644: A ranch owned by his parents George and Esther Harlan on Lopez Point, a mile north of Lucia. His future wife first arrived in the Big Sur area from San Jose in 1913 to become a school teacher at the Redwood School. George volunteered to meet the new teacher at the King City rail road station in the Salinas Valley. He brought her to the coast on a two-day horseback trip that included an overnight stay in Wagon Caves# in
2840-399: A record "unparalleled in the history of the world." The Journal's political coverage, however, was not entirely one-sided. Kenneth Whyte says that most editors of the time "believed their papers should speak with one voice on political matters"; by contrast, in New York, Hearst "helped to usher in the multi-perspective approach we identify with the modern op-ed page". At first he supported
2982-528: A revenue peak about 1928, but the economic collapse of the Great Depression in the United States and the vast over-extension of his empire cost him control of his holdings. It is unlikely that the newspapers ever paid their own way; mining, ranching and forestry provided whatever dividends the Hearst Corporation paid out. When the collapse came, all Hearst properties were hit hard, but none more so than
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#17330852427843124-479: A second segment from the Big Sur Village south to Anderson Creek. When these sections were completed, the contractor had used up all of the available funds and work was halted. California Governor Friend William Richardson felt the state could not afford to complete the 30 miles (48 km) remaining, including the most difficult section remaining between Salmon Creek and Anderson Canyon. In March 1928, work
3266-587: A series of elections. He narrowly failed in attempts to become mayor of New York City in both 1905 and 1909 and governor of New York in 1906, nominally remaining a Democrat while also creating the Independence Party . He was defeated for the governorship by Charles Evans Hughes . Hearst's unsuccessful campaigns for office after his tenure in the House of Representatives earned him the unflattering but short-lived nickname of "William 'Also-Randolph' Hearst", which
3408-551: A silver fir to her husband's memory. The Elmer Rigdon Memorial Drinking Fountain, 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Lucia, in a turnout between Vicente Creek Bridge and Big Creek Bridge , was dedicated in Elmer Rigdon's memory. The Native Sons of the Golden West dedicated two redwood trees. The caravan then drove north to Pfeiffer Redwoods State Park, where a larger dedication ceremony was held. The initial $ 1.5 million bond measure
3550-470: A small town in Missouri. The elder Hearst later entered politics. He served as a U.S. Senator , first appointed for a brief period in 1886 and was then elected later that year. He served from 1887 to his death in 1891. His paternal great-grandfather was John Hearst of Ulster Protestant origin. John Hearst, with his wife and six children, migrated to America from Ballybay , County Monaghan, Ireland, as part of
3692-472: A stage 37 miles (60 km) north. The families brought back supplies necessary to sustain their remote lives. William Randolph Hearst developed an interest in acquiring more land to add to the ranch his father George Hearst had purchased, but Harlen refused to sell. The lodge was built in the 1930s by Forest Delamater who leased the land from Wilber Harlan. In 1936, the Lucia Post Office reopened at
3834-434: A style of popular journalism that came to be derided as " yellow journalism ", so named after Outcault's Yellow Kid comic. Pulitzer's World had pushed the boundaries of mass appeal for newspapers through bold headlines, aggressive news gathering, generous use of cartoons and illustrations, populist politics, progressive crusades, an exuberant public spirit and dramatic crime and human-interest stories. Hearst's Journal used
3976-427: A very fast trip for the day. In 1897, he walked the entire stretch of rocky coast from Monterey to San Luis Obispo in five days and mapped out a course of the future road. He photographed the land and became the first surveyor of the route. He became convinced of the need for a road along the coast to San Simeon, which he believed could be built for $ 50,000 (equivalent to $ 1,089,750 in 2023). In 1915, he presented
4118-490: A very fast trip for the day. The initial survey for the highway was completed in 1918, and its construction began in 1921. The project ceased for two years in 1926 when funding ran out, and after 18 years of construction, the Carmel–San Simeon Highway was completed in 1937. The route was incorporated into the state highway system and re-designated as Highway 1 in 1939. The winding, narrow road, often cut into
4260-530: Is currently at or near capacity much of the year. The primary transportation objective of the Big Sur Coastal Land Use plan is to maintain Highway 1 as a scenic two-lane road and to reserve most remaining capacity for the priority uses of the act. The steep topography, active faults, diverse geology, and seasonal storms combine to make the rugged Big Sur area one of the most landslide-prone stretches of
4402-421: Is generally considered to include the 71-mile (114 km) segment adjoining the unincorporated region of Big Sur between Malpaso Creek near Carmel Highlands in the north and San Carpóforo Creek near San Simeon in the south. Prior to its completion, the California coast south of Carmel and north of San Simeon was one of the most remote regions in the state, rivaling at the time nearly any other region in
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4544-464: Is not an end in itself... [they believed] our emotions tend to ignite our intellects: a story catering to a reader's feelings is more likely than a dry treatise to stimulate thought." The two papers finally declared a truce in late 1898, after both lost vast amounts of money covering the Spanish–American War . Hearst probably lost several million dollars in his first three years as publisher of
4686-508: Is rumored that the lodge is haunted . Lucia Lodge included a general store and a restaurant facing the ocean that served lunch and dinner year round and breakfast only in the summer. Both were heavily damaged by a fire in August 2021. The cabins located 100 yards north of the restaurant were not damaged. In 2019, the Netflix series Ratched , a prequel to One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest ,
4828-545: Is the claim, without any contemporary evidence, that the illustrator Frederic Remington , sent by Hearst to Cuba to cover the Cuban War of Independence , cabled Hearst to tell him all was quiet in Cuba. Hearst, in this canard, is said to have responded, "Please remain. You furnish the pictures and I'll furnish the war." Hearst was personally dedicated to the cause of the Cuban rebels, and
4970-752: The Detroit Times , the Seattle Post-Intelligencer , the Washington Times-Herald , the Washington Herald , and his flagship, the San Francisco Examiner . Hearst also diversified his publishing interests into book publishing and magazines. Several of the latter are still in circulation, including such periodicals as Cosmopolitan , Good Housekeeping , Town and Country , and Harper's Bazaar . In 1924, Hearst opened
5112-526: The New York Daily Mirror , a racy tabloid frankly imitating the New York Daily News . Among his other holdings were two news services, Universal News and International News Service , or INS, the latter of which he founded in 1909. He also owned INS companion radio station WINS in New York; King Features Syndicate , which still owns the copyrights of a number of popular comics characters;
5254-486: The New York Journal and fought a bitter circulation war with Joseph Pulitzer 's New York World . Hearst sold papers by printing giant headlines over lurid stories featuring crime, corruption, sex, and innuendos. Hearst acquired more newspapers and created a chain that numbered nearly 30 papers in major American cities at its peak. He later expanded to magazines, creating the largest newspaper and magazine business in
5396-565: The San Francisco Examiner , which his father had acquired in 1880 as repayment for a gambling debt. Giving his paper the motto "Monarch of the Dailies", Hearst acquired the most advanced equipment and the most prominent writers of the time, including Ambrose Bierce , Mark Twain , Jack London , and political cartoonist Homer Davenport . A self-proclaimed populist , Hearst reported accounts of municipal and financial corruption, often attacking companies in which his own family held an interest. Within
5538-611: The Comstock Lode in land. In 1865 he purchased about 30,000 acres (12,000 ha), part of Rancho Piedra Blanca stretching from Simeon Bay and reached to Ragged Point. He paid the original grantee Jose de Jesus Pico USD$ 1 an acre, about twice the current market price. Hearst continued to buy parcels whenever they became available. He also bought most of Rancho San Simeon . In 1865, Hearst bought all of Rancho Santa Rosa totaling 13,184 acres (5,335 ha) except one section of 160 acres (0.6 km ) that Estrada lived on. However, as
5680-604: The Journal (figures are impossible to verify), but the paper began turning a profit after it ended its fight with the World. Under Hearst, the Journal remained loyal to the populist or left wing of the Democratic Party. It was the only major publication in the East to support William Jennings Bryan in 1896. Its coverage of that election was probably the most important of any newspaper in
5822-443: The Journal did some of the most important and courageous reporting on the conflict—as well as some of the most sensationalized. Their stories on the Cuban rebellion and Spain's atrocities on the island—many of which turned out to be untrue —were motivated primarily by Hearst's outrage at Spain's brutal policies on the island. These had resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent Cubans. The most well-known story involved
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5964-487: The League of Nations . His newspapers abstained from endorsing any candidate in 1920 and 1924. Hearst's last bid for office came in 1922, when he was backed by Tammany Hall leaders for the U.S. Senate nomination in New York. Al Smith vetoed this, earning the lasting enmity of Hearst. Although Hearst shared Smith's opposition to Prohibition , he swung his papers behind Herbert Hoover in the 1928 presidential election. During
6106-583: The Old Coast Road south to Post's ranch near Sycamore Canyon. At Bixby Creek Canyon, the road was necessarily built 11 miles (18 km) inland to circumvent the deep canyon. The road from Bixby Canyon climbed steep Cerro Hill and crossed the Little Sur River where its two forks diverted. The road entered the Cooper Ranch (formerly Rancho El Sur ) and continued south about 7 miles (11 km) south to
6248-665: The Russian Revolution of 1917 but later he turned against it. Hearst fought hard against Wilsonian internationalism , the League of Nations , and the World Court, thereby appealing to an isolationist audience. The Morning Journal's daily circulation routinely climbed above the 1 million mark after the sinking of the Maine and U.S. entry into the Spanish–American War, a war that some called The Journal ' s War, due to
6390-660: The U.S. House of Representatives . He ran unsuccessfully for President of the United States in 1904 , Mayor of New York City in 1905 and 1909 , and for Governor of New York in 1906 . During his political career, he espoused views generally associated with the left wing of the Progressive Movement , claiming to speak on behalf of the working class. After 1918 and the end of World War I, Hearst gradually began adopting more conservative views and started promoting an isolationist foreign policy to avoid any more entanglement in what he regarded as corrupt European affairs. He
6532-477: The "penny paper", so called because its copies sold for a penny apiece, the Journal was competing with New York's 16 other major dailies. It had a strong focus on Democratic Party politics. Hearst imported his best managers from the San Francisco Examiner and "quickly established himself as the most attractive employer" among New York newspapers. He was seen as generous, paid more than his competitors, and gave credit to his writers with page-one bylines. Further, he
6674-592: The 1904 Democratic nomination for president , losing to conservative Alton B. Parker . Breaking with Tammany in 1907, Hearst ran for mayor of New York City under a third party of his own creation, the Municipal Ownership League . Tammany Hall exerted its utmost to defeat him. An opponent of the British Empire , Hearst opposed American involvement in the First World War and attacked the formation of
6816-486: The 1920s Hearst was a Jeffersonian democrat . He warned citizens against the dangers of big government and against unchecked federal power that could infringe on individual rights. When unemployment was near 25 percent, it appeared that Hoover would lose his bid for reelection in 1932, so Hearst sought to block the nomination of Franklin D. Roosevelt as the Democratic challenger. While continuing to oppose Smith, he promoted
6958-511: The 1920s, only two homes in the entire region had electricity, locally generated by water wheels and windmills. Most of the population lived without power until connections to the California electric grid were established in the early 1950s. The region has always been relatively difficult to access and only the sturdiest and most self-sufficient settlers stayed. In July 1937, the California Highways and Public Works department described
7100-674: The 1936 election. The Hearst papers—like most major chains—had supported the Republican Alf Landon that year. While campaigning against Roosevelt's policy of developing formal diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, in 1935 Hearst ordered his editors to reprint eyewitness accounts of the Ukrainian famine (the Holodomor , which occurred in 1932–1933). These had been supplied in 1933 by Welsh freelance journalist Gareth Jones , and by
7242-527: The Cahans Exodus in 1766. The family settled in the Province of South Carolina . Their immigration there was spurred in part by the colonial government's policy that encouraged the immigration of Irish Protestants , many of Scots origin. The names "John Hearse" and "John Hearse Jr." appear on the council records of October 26, 1766, being credited with meriting 400 and 100 acres (1.62 and 0.40 km ) of land on
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#17330852427847384-601: The California coast. As a result, the California Department of Transportation has had to make many repairs to the road. Highway 1 has been closed on more than 55 occasions due to damage from landslides , mudslides, erosion, and fire. Aside from Highway 1, the only access to Big Sur is via the winding, narrow, 24.5 miles (39.4 km) long Nacimiento-Fergusson Road , which from Highway 1 south of Lucia passes east through Fort Hunter Liggett to Mission Road in Jolon . It's about
7526-638: The Carmel ;– San Simeon Highway, to connect Big Sur to the rest of California. A $ 1.5 million bond issue was approved by voters, but construction was delayed by World War I. Federal funds were appropriated and in 1921 voters approved additional state funds. Additional funds were made available from the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933. California received $ 15 million for state highway work. The California state legislature passed
7668-621: The Cooper Ranch was still shipped by boat to Monterey. The Idlewild competed with the Pfeiffer Resort for guests through about 1920, when the Idlewild was forced out of business by Martha Cooper, who acquired the land. In 1904, residents extended the unpaved road from the Pfeiffer Resort to the Post Ranch, and then it was extended another 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south to Castro Canyon, near the present-day location of Deetjen's Big Sur Inn. As late as
7810-503: The Cuban crisis and the ensuing Spanish–American War is often cited as one of the most significant milestones in the rise of yellow journalism 's hold over the mainstream media. Huge headlines in the Journal assigned blame for the Maine's destruction on sabotage, which was based on no evidence. This reporting stoked outrage and indignation against Spain among the paper's readers in New York. The Journal's crusade against Spanish rule in Cuba
7952-414: The Cuban rebels, Gen. Calixto García , gave Hearst a Cuban flag that had been riddled with bullets as a gift, in appreciation of Hearst's major role in Cuba's liberation. In part to aid in his political ambitions, Hearst opened newspapers in other cities, among them Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston. In 1915, he founded International Film Service , an animation studio designed to exploit the popularity of
8094-465: The Idlewild Hotel in about 1900 on the Old Coast Road where it crossed the Little Sur River. The Pfeiffer family's hospitality was enjoyed by friends and strangers alike for years. They finally began charging guests in 1910, naming it Pfeiffer's Ranch Resort. It and the Idlewild Hotel were the earliest places to stay. In 1909, an advertisement for the Idlewild Hotel on the Little Sur River stated that
8236-485: The Long Canes in what became Abbeville District, based upon 100 acres (0.40 km ) to heads of household and 50 acres (0.20 km ) for each dependent of a Protestant immigrant; the "Hearse" spelling of the family name was never used afterward by the family members themselves, nor any family of any size. Hearst's mother, née Phoebe Elizabeth Apperson, was also of Scots-Irish ancestry; her family came from Galway . She
8378-649: The Nazis, and fired journalists who refused to write stories favourable of German fascism. Hearst's papers ran columns without rebuttal by Nazi leader Hermann Göring , Alfred Rosenberg , and Hitler himself, as well as Mussolini and other dictators in Europe and Latin America. After the systematic massive Nazi attacks on Jews known as Kristallnacht (November 9–10, 1938), the Hearst press, like all major American newspapers, blamed Hitler and
8520-410: The Nazis: "The entire civilized world is shocked and shamed by Germany's brutal oppression of the Jewish people," read an editorial in all Hearst papers. "You [Hitler] are making the flag of National Socialism a symbol of national savagery," read an editorial written by Hearst. During 1934, Japan / U.S. relations were unstable. In an attempt to remedy this, Prince Tokugawa Iesato travelled throughout
8662-434: The Pfeiffer Ranch. In 1920, the 26 mi (42 km) trip from Carmel in a light spring wagon pulled by two horses could be completed in about 11 hours. A lumber wagon pulled by four horses could make the trip in 13 hours. Bixby obtained a patent on April 10, 1889, for 160 acres (65 ha) south of Mill Creek. In 1891, visitor C. A. Canfield wrote about how a trip on the mail wagon from Monterey to Posts took most of
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#17330852427848804-563: The Pfeiffer family built the Big Sur River Inn in 1934. Land values rose. Some residents regretted the access provided by the highway. Jaime de Angulo, who first arrived in Big Sur in 1915, wrote: But my coast is gone, you see. It will be an altogether different affair. I don't know what to think of it, on the whole. My first reaction of course was one of intense sorrow and horror. My Coast had been defiled and raped. The spirits would depart. And as I travelled with Mr. Farmer (the stage man) past Castro's place, past Grimes' cañon, and contemplated
8946-400: The San Luis Obispo/Monterey county border and as of August 2024 remains closed. The Nacimiento-Fergusson Road also remains closed. Governor Juan Alvarado granted Rancho San Jose y Sur Chiquito , including the land from Carmel to near Palo Colorado Canyon , to José Castro in about 1848. Castro documented a trail from Monterey to Palo Colorado Canyon used by Native Americans when he filed
9088-424: The Santa Lucia range, from which two trails split to the coast or to the Los Burros Mining District . The horse trail across the mountains was widened and improved into a road beginning in 1931, and completed in 1937. The road was constructed by crews composed of men from the Civilian Conservation Corp , U.S. Forest Service, and state and county relief agencies. On April 21, 1894, Dr. John L. D. Roberts,
9230-466: The State Board of Prison Directors and guards. The law helped the contractors who had a difficult time attracting labor to work in remote regions of the state. The first contract was awarded in 1921. The contractor Blake and Heaney built a prison labor camp for 120 prisoners and 20 paid laborers at Piedras Blancas Light Station . They began work on 12 miles (19 km) of road between Piedras Blancas Light Station near San Simeon and Salmon Creek. Most of
9372-445: The United States for its difficult access. In 1920, the 26 mi (42 km) trip from Carmel to the Pfeiffer Ranch in the Big Sur valley on the Old Coast Road in a light spring wagon pulled by two horses could be completed in about 11 hours, while a lumber wagon pulled by four horses could make the same trip in 13 hours. The rough road ended in present-day Posts and could be impassible in winter. No road existed beyond Posts, only
9514-687: The United States on a goodwill visit. During his visit, Prince Iesato and his delegation met with William Randolph Hearst with the hope of improving relations between the two nations. In 1903, 40-year-old Hearst married Millicent Veronica Willson (1882–1974), a 21-year-old chorus girl, in New York City. The couple had five sons: George Randolph Hearst , born on April 23, 1904; William Randolph Hearst Jr. , born on January 27, 1908; John Randolph Hearst , born September 26, 1909; and twins Randolph Apperson Hearst and David Whitmire (né Elbert Willson) Hearst , born on December 2, 1915. Conceding an end to his political hopes, Hearst became involved in an affair with
9656-406: The Ventana Inn. It passes through private land and connects with the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road. It follows the crest of the coastal ridge south about 34 miles (55 km) to within a couple of miles of Cone Peak. Both the Old Coast Road and the Coast Ridge Road are often unusable during and after winter storms. The southern region of Monterey County coast was isolated from the few settlements in
9798-401: The area in numbers along the coast. Their main diet during the summer consisted of fish and shell fish, evidenced by the fine particles of shell present in the soil for a depth of several feet in areas where the Indians camped. The Salinan named the peak Pimkolam . The tribe's name is taken from the Salinas River , as the tribe did not appear to have a name for themselves. Wilber Judson Harlan
9940-497: The bottom, he [Hearst] drove the Journal and the penny press upmarket. The Journal was a demanding, sophisticated paper by contemporary standards." Though yellow journalism would be much maligned, Whyte said, "All good yellow journalists ... sought the human in every story and edited without fear of emotion or drama. They wore their feelings on their pages, believing it was an honest and wholesome way to communicate with readers", but, as Whyte pointed out: "This appeal to feelings
10082-556: The bulldozer he was operating fell down the slide into the ocean. His body was never recovered. In 1998, about 40 different locations on the road were damaged by El Niño storms, including a major slide 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Gorda that closed the road for almost three months. The Associated Press described the damage as "the most extensive destruction in the 60-year history of the world famous scenic route". William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. ( / h ɜːr s t / ; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951)
10224-493: The camp would be accessible by auto as soon as the "Cerro Grade", the stretch of road from the coast to the Little Sur River near Cerro Hill, was completed. In 1910, the Monterey Daily Cypress reported that Mr. and Mrs. A.E. Cooper "motored down to Mrs. Martha M. Cooper ranch at Sur, leaving Monterey at 12 midnight and arriving there at 2 a.m." But the road was still very rough, and most goods including cheese produced on
10366-476: The coast were ordered as a precaution against Japanese attack. The opening of Highway 1 in 1937 dramatically altered the local economy. Before the highway was completed, a developer who wanted to build a subdivision offered to buy the Pfeiffer Ranch from John and Florence Pfeiffer for $ 210,000 ($ 3.83 million in 2023). John was the son of Big Sur pioneers Michael Pfeiffer and Barbara Laquet. Pfeiffer wanted
10508-576: The coast. Travelers on horseback switched to wagons stored there for the purpose of transporting goods to market and provisions home. From the Caves there was a 18 miles (29 km) wagon road to Jolon . In 1878, Jolon had two grocers, a butcher, a blacksmith, a harness maker, a general merchandise store, post office, and Wells Fargo station. When the Southern Pacific Railroad was extended in 1886 to Soledad , travelers could then ride their wagons or
10650-484: The coastal mountains and south along the coast past the mouth of the Big Sur River to Cooper's Point. It was largely a cattle operation. There was a brief industrial boom in the late 19th century, but the early decades of the twentieth century passed with few changes, and Big Sur remained a nearly inaccessible wilderness. In 1886, Bixby partnered with William W. Post and they improved and realigned what became known as
10792-706: The comic strips he controlled. The creation of his Chicago paper was requested by the Democratic National Committee . Hearst used this as an excuse for his mother Phoebe Hearst to transfer him the necessary start-up funds. By the mid-1920s he had a nationwide string of 28 newspapers, among them the Los Angeles Examiner , the Boston American , the Atlanta Georgian , the Chicago Examiner ,
10934-538: The country, attacking relentlessly the unprecedented role of money in the Republican campaign and the dominating role played by William McKinley 's political and financial manager, Mark Hanna , the first national party 'boss' in American history. A year after taking over the paper, Hearst could boast that sales of the Journal's post-election issue (including the evening and German-language editions) topped 1.5 million,
11076-514: The county to build a road to Bixby Creek, but they refused, replying that "no one would want to live there". In 1870, Bixby and his father hired men to improve the track and constructed the first wagon road including 23 bridges from the Carmel Mission to Bixby Creek. Further south, the Rancho El Sur grant extended from the mouth of Little Sur River inland about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) over
11218-440: The directives of an outside manager. Newspapers and other properties were liquidated, the film company shut down; there was even a well-publicized sale of art and antiquities. While World War II restored circulation and advertising revenues, his great days were over. The Hearst Corporation continues to this day as a large, privately held media conglomerate based in New York City. Hearst won two elections to Congress , then lost
11360-476: The disillusioned American Communist Fred Beal . The New York Times , content with what it has since conceded was "tendentious" reporting of Soviet achievements, printed the blanket denials of its Pulitzer Prize -winning Moscow correspondent Walter Duranty . Duranty, who was widely credited with facilitating the rapprochement with Moscow, dismissed the Hearst-circulated reports of man-made starvation as
11502-781: The entire highway was not completed for another five years. All of the concrete arch bridges were listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. They were also included in the California Register of Historic Resources in 1992. The contractor built a large bridge of Redwood with a span of 514 feet (157 m) at Dolan Creek because of the considerable distance required to haul concrete. They also built wood bridges at Lime Creek, Prewitt Creek, Wild Cattle Creek and Torre Canyon. Steel bridges were built at Burns Creek, San Simeon Creek, Pico Creek, Castro Canyon, Mill Creek and Little Pico Creek. The timber and steel bridges, with
11644-576: The exception of Castro Canyon and Mill Creek, were all replaced with concrete bridges later on. To provide water to thirsty travelers, the Civilian Conservation Corps built between 1933 and 1937 six hand-crafted stone drinking fountains. The crews built masonry stone walls around local springs at each location. Five are still known to exist, indicated by their distance from the Monterey/San Luis Obispo County line: One of
11786-505: The extremely steep slopes. The work was dangerous, and accidents and earth slides were common. One or more accidents were reported nearly every week. Equipment was frequently damaged and lost. In one incident, a steam shovel fell more than 500 feet (150 m) into the ocean and was destroyed. Overcoming all the difficulties, the crews completed two portions of the highway in October 1924, the southern section from San Simeon to Salmon Creek and
11928-465: The face of towering seaside cliffs, is a "symbolic image" of Big Sur. In May 2017, a 5,000,000-cubic-foot (140,000 m ) slide blocked the highway at Mud Creek, north of Salmon Creek near the San Luis Obispo County line, to just south of Gorda . The road was reopened on July 18, 2018, but is subject to closure during heavy storms. On January 29, 2021, the land under the road collapsed into
12070-453: The fearful gashes cut into the mountain, and the dirt sliding down, right down into the water in avalanches, my heart bled. Many members of the original families were extremely upset by the destruction caused by the construction. The contractors employed primitive construction methods. Laborers used tons of dynamite to blast large amounts of earth. When the workers cut into hillsides, they left naked scars void of brush. Machinery blasted through
12212-405: The film actress and comedian Marion Davies (1897–1961), former mistress of his friend Paul Block . From about 1919, he lived openly with her in California. After the death of Patricia Lake (1919/1923–1993), who had been presented as Davies's "niece," her family confirmed that she was Davies's and Hearst's daughter. She had acknowledged this before her death. Millicent separated from Hearst in
12354-506: The fountains is believed to have been lost due to one of the many landslides. Some of them are still operational. In December 1932 during the Great Depression , the state opened a wider, oiled, macadam 37 miles (60 km) section of the two-lane highway from Carmel River in 8 miles (13 km) north to Pfeiffer's Resort on the Big Sur River. Beyond Pfeiffer's Resort, a gravel road extended 13 miles (21 km) south where it ended at
12496-503: The great cliffs, scarring granite promontories, defiling canyons and filling waterfalls with debris. They pushed "millions and millions and billions of yards of earth" and rock debris over the edge of the road, down the slopes, and into the oceans. Deetjen's Big Sur Inn was opened in 1936. The region's economy and population growth was strongly influenced by the construction of permanent and summer homes. Many visitor facilities were constructed. The agricultural and minor industrial economy
12638-500: The imprisonment and escape of Cuban prisoner Evangelina Cisneros . While Hearst and the yellow press did not directly cause America's war with Spain, they inflamed public opinion in New York City to a fever pitch. New York's elites read other papers, such as the Times and Sun , which were far more restrained. The Journal and the World were local papers oriented to a very large working class audience in New York City. They were not among
12780-479: The journey, "There was a narrow, winding, steep road from Carmel south ... approximately 35 miles to the Big Sur River. From that point south to San Simeon, it could only be traveled by horseback or on foot." The southern portion, which was for many years merely a foot and horse trail, became known as the "Coast Ridge Road". It used to begin near the Old Post Ranch. It is currently only accessible on foot from near
12922-523: The land preserved and he sold 680 acres (2.8 km ) to the state of California in 1933. This became the foundation of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. The Civilian Conservation Corps built campgrounds, buildings, fences, a footbridge, and trails in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. They used redwood lumber and river rocks as building materials to create a wood and stone "park rustic" style. They also fought fires and removed poison oak. A relative of
13064-513: The largest earth-moving project ever undertaken by Caltrans. Caltrans routinely pushed slide debris into the ocean shore until the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary was created in 1992, which made dumping material into the ocean illegal. Highway 1 was closed for 14 months. One individual was killed while repairing the road. In 1983, Skinner Pierce died while clearing the slide near Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park when
13206-645: The location and the fifth generation still operates the Lucia Lodge alongside the Big Sur Coast Highway . The land may have first been occupied the Salinan Playano subtribe who are believed to have lived as far north as Slates Hot Springs , easterly over the Santa Lucia Mountains and Junipero Serra Peak , inland towards Soledad and as far south as what is now San Simeon . The shell middens left behind indicate that indigenous people lived in
13348-490: The main entrance of Andrea Molera State Park. It can be impassable in wet weather and is suitable for high-clearance vehicles. The Coast Ridge Road south of Posts is closed to vehicles. From Posts, it climbs to the coastal summit, and follows the westernmost ridge of the Santa Lucia Range from Big Sur to Cone Peak. From Cone Peak the road extended south, crossing Nacimiento Summit and continuing south past Chalk Peak to where
13490-503: The mid-1920s after tiring of his longtime affair with Davies, but the couple remained legally married until Hearst's death. As a leading philanthropist, Millicent built an independent life for herself in New York City. She was active in society and in 1921 founded the Free Milk Fund for Babies. For decades, the fund provided New York's poverty-stricken families with free milk for children. George Hearst invested some of his fortune from
13632-581: The newly constructed Lucia Lodge but subsequently closed again in 1938. In 1937, the Lucia store opened coinciding with the opening of Big Sur Coast Highway . Lucia also had a gas station as well. The Lucia Lodge consists of ten cabins situated on a 300-foot cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The fifth generation Harlan descendants still operate the cabins. The Honeymoon Cabin (Unit 10) has exceptionally good views. The rooms do not have televisions or telephones. It
13774-423: The north by the steep terrain. The southern homesteaders were more closely tied to the people in the interior San Antonio Valley including the Jolon and Lockwood areas than to coastal communities to the north. Those who lived in the vicinity of the Big Sur River were connected with Monterey to the north. A horse trail connected Jolon through present-day Fort Hunter Liggett to Wagon Caves , and from there over
13916-528: The north. When they completed this portion in 1932, the contractor moved the work camp south to Anderson Creek . From this camp, they built the road south 7 miles (11 km) south to Big Creek. When this task was finished, the workers almost completely reconstructed and realigned the portion of the road from Anderson Creek to Big Sur that had been completed in 1924. Two and three shifts of convicts and free men worked every day, using four large steam shovels. Locals, including writer John Steinbeck , also worked on
14058-469: The paper's immense influence in provoking American outrage against Spain. Much of the coverage leading up to the war, beginning with the outbreak of the Cuban Revolution in 1895 , was tainted by rumor, propaganda, and sensationalism, with the "yellow" papers regarded as the worst offenders. The Journal and other New York newspapers were so one-sided and full of errors in their reporting that coverage of
14200-437: The papers. Hearst's conservative politics, increasingly at odds with those of his readers, worsened matters for the once great Hearst media chain. Having been refused the right to sell another round of bonds to unsuspecting investors, the shaky empire tottered. Unable to service its existing debts, Hearst Corporation faced a court-mandated reorganization in 1937. From that point, Hearst was reduced to being an employee, subject to
14342-555: The president vetoed the Patman Bonus Bill for veterans and tried to enter the World Court . His papers carried the publisher's rambling, vitriolic, all-capital-letters editorials, but he no longer employed the energetic reporters, editors, and columnists who might have made a serious attack. He reached 20 million readers in the mid-1930s. They included much of the working class which Roosevelt had attracted by three-to-one margins in
14484-481: The president's mind than the melodramas in the New York Journal. Hearst sailed to Cuba with a small army of Journal reporters to cover the Spanish–American War; they brought along portable printing equipment, which was used to print a single-edition newspaper in Cuba after the fighting had ended. Two of the Journal's correspondents, James Creelman and Edward Marshall, were wounded in the fighting. A leader of
14626-508: The rapid expansion of the state's road network. State Senator Elmer S. Rigdon from Cambria , at the southern end of the Big Sur region, embraced the necessity of building the road. He was a member of the California Senate Committee on Roads and Highways and promoted the military necessity of defending California's coast which persuaded the legislature to approve the project. In 1919, the legislature approved building Route 56, or
14768-417: The results of his survey and photographic work to a joint session of the California legislature. Roberts initially promoted the coastal highway to allow access to a region of spectacular beauty, but failed to obtain funding. California was booming during the 1920s, driven by rapidly expanding aviation, oil, and agricultural business. The number of state residents doubled between 1910 and 1930. This stimulated
14910-529: The rival candidacy of Speaker of the House , John Nance Garner , a Texan "whose guiding motto is ‘America First'" and who, in his own words, saw “the gravest possible menace” facing the country as “the constantly increasing tendency toward socialism and communism”. At the Democratic Party Convention in 1932, with control of delegations from his own state of California and from Garner's home state of Texas, Hearst had enough influence to ensure that
15052-569: The road is now named Plaskett Ridge Road. From there it began a westerly descent to a point along the South Coast near Sand Dollar Beach and Plaskett . Segments of the Old Coast Ridge Road have been given new names, and some sections of the road are closed. Portions of it are now a Forest Service trail. On January 15, 1952, the highway was closed 7 miles (11 km) north of San Simeon to Big Sur due to "numerous heavy slides". December 1955
15194-473: The road lay within San Luis Obispo County. As they progressed, the work camp was moved 9 miles (14 km) north to Willow Creek and then another 10 miles (16 km) north to Kirk Creek. When the section to Salmon Creek was completed, the crew began work on the road north toward Big Creek. Contractor George Pollock Company of Sacramento started construction next on one of the most remote segments,
15336-413: The road. Walt Trotter, a long-time resident of the coast who had many years of experience in construction, observed in 1978 that the road could have been better built. "Had this been a modern constructed way", he said, "it would have been all infilled, tailgated, the brush would have been cleared off all the cuts, they would have taken the dozers and gone down and compacted all the fill." Still, looking at
15478-422: The same recipe for success, forcing Pulitzer to drop the price of the World from two cents to a penny. Soon the two papers were locked in a fierce, often spiteful competition for readers in which both papers spent large sums of money and saw huge gains in circulation. Within a few months of purchasing the Journal , Hearst hired away Pulitzer's three top editors: Sunday editor Morrill Goddard, who greatly expanded
15620-736: The scope and appeal of the American Sunday newspaper; Solomon Carvalho; and a young Arthur Brisbane , who became managing editor of the Hearst newspaper empire and a well-known columnist. Contrary to popular assumption, they were not lured away by higher pay—rather, each man had grown tired of the office environment that Pulitzer encouraged. While Hearst's many critics attribute the Journal ' s incredible success to cheap sensationalism, Kenneth Whyte noted in The Uncrowned King: The Sensational Rise Of William Randolph Hearst : "Rather than racing to
15762-414: The sea due to heavy storms near Rat Creek 15 miles (24 km) south of Big Sur Village . After 30 days of debris removal and only 56 days of construction, the highway was reopened on April 23, 2021. The highway has been closed more than 55 times by landslides . It was closed repeatedly during the storms of 2022-23 . On January 8, 2023, the highway was closed at Paul's Slide 22 miles (35 km) north of
15904-461: The state, rivaling at the time nearly any other region in the United States for its difficult access. It remained largely an untouched wilderness until early in the twentieth century. Yankee businessman Charles Henry Bixby bought several hundred acres south of Mill Creek and harvested lumber, tanbark, and lime. Without a road, he resorted to using a landing chute and hoist to transfer the goods to steamers anchored offshore. Bixby tried to persuade
16046-466: The story as an attempt by Hearst to "spoil Soviet-American relations" as part of "an anti-red campaign". According to Rodney Carlisle, "Hearst condemned the domestic practices of Nazism, but he believed that German demands for boundary revision were legitimate. While he was not pro-Nazi, he accepted more German positions and propaganda than did some other editors and publishers." With “AMERICA FIRST” emblazoned on his newspaper masthead, Hearst celebrated
16188-492: The top ten sources of news in papers in other cities, and their stories did not make a splash outside New York City. Outrage across the country came from evidence of what Spain was doing in Cuba, a major influence in the decision by Congress to declare war. According to a 21st-century historian, war was declared by Congress because public opinion was sickened by the bloodshed, and because leaders like McKinley realized that Spain had lost control of Cuba. These factors weighed more on
16330-505: The trip starting at Lakehurst Naval Air Station, New Jersey . The ship's captain, Dr. Hugo Eckener , first flew the Graf Zeppelin across the Atlantic from Germany to pick up Hearst's photographer and at least three Hearst correspondents. One of them, Grace Marguerite Hay Drummond-Hay , by that flight became the first woman to travel around the world by air. The Hearst news empire reached
16472-554: The triumphant Roosevelt picked Garner as his running mate. In the anticipation that Roosevelt would turn out to be, in his words, “properly conservative”, Hearst supported his election. But the rapprochement with Roosevelt did not last the year. The New Deal's program of unemployment relief, in Hearst's view, was “more communistic than the communist” and “un-American to the core”. More and more often, Hearst newspapers supported business over organized labor and condemned higher income tax legislation. Hearst broke with FDR in spring 1935 when
16614-603: The upper San Antonio River valley. They married and settled on the land. Ada Amanda Dani married her neighbor Wilbur Harlan on July 7, 1889. They had 11 children. On March 8, 1900, the post office was opened in the home of Elizabeth and Gabriel Dani. While Lucia was postmaster, it served about 65 local residents. In 1906, Ada became the second postmaster. She was succeeded by her daughter Lulu May Harlan who served until. George Harlan rode his horse Trixie to carry mail from Jolon to Lucia Post Office from 1922 to 1934. The Harlan house burned down on December 12, 1926. The post office
16756-407: The world. Hearst controlled the editorial positions and coverage of political news in all his papers and magazines, and thereby often published his personal views. He sensationalized Spanish atrocities in Cuba while calling for war in 1898 against Spain . Historians, however, reject his subsequent claims to have started the war with Spain as overly extravagant. He was twice elected as a Democrat to
16898-549: The “great achievement” of the new Nazi regime in Germany—a lesson to all “liberty-loving people.” In 1934, after checking with Jewish leaders, Hearst visited Berlin to interview Adolf Hitler . When Hitler asked why he was so misunderstood by the American press, Hearst retorted: "Because Americans believe in democracy, and are averse to dictatorship." William Randolph Hearst instructed his reporters in Germany to give positive coverage of
17040-516: Was 714 feet (218 m) long, 24 feet (7.3 m) wide, 260 feet (79 m) above the creek bed below, and had a main span of 360 feet (110 m). The bridge was designed to support more than six times its intended load. When it was completed on October 15, 1932, Bixby Creek Bridge was the largest arched highway structure in the Western states. Five more reinforced concrete bridges were built at Rocky, Granite, Garapata, Malpaso, and Wildcat Creeks. But
17182-792: Was a 43,281-acre (17,515 ha) land grant given in 1838 by California governor Juan Bautista Alvarado to Ygnacio Pastor. The grant encompassed present-day Jolon and land to the west. When Pastor obtained title from the Public Land Commission in 1875, Faxon Atherton immediately purchased the land. By 1880, the James Brown Cattle Company owned and operated Rancho Milpitas and neighboring Rancho Los Ojitos . In 1923, Newhall Land sold Rancho San Miguelito de Trinidad and Rancho El Piojo to William Randolph Hearst. In 1925, Hearst's Piedmont Land and Cattle Company bought Rancho Milpitas and Rancho Los Ojitos (Little Springs) from
17324-451: Was a leading supporter of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932–1934, but then broke with FDR and became his most prominent enemy on the right. Hearst's publication reached a peak circulation of 20 million readers a day in the mid-1930s. He poorly managed finances and was so deeply in debt during the Great Depression that most of his assets had to be liquidated in the late 1930s. Hearst managed to keep his newspapers and magazines. His life story
17466-581: Was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon , the A.D. Club , a Harvard Final club , the Hasty Pudding Theatricals , and the Harvard Lampoon prior to being expelled . His antics at Harvard ranged from sponsoring massive beer parties on Harvard Square to sending pudding pots used as chamber pots to his professors with their images depicted within the bowls. Searching for an occupation, in 1887 Hearst took over management of his father's newspaper,
17608-557: Was an American newspaper publisher and politician who developed the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications . His flamboyant methods of yellow journalism in violation of ethics and standards influenced the nation's popular media by emphasizing sensationalism and human-interest stories . Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887 with Mitchell Trubitt after being given control of The San Francisco Examiner by his wealthy father, Senator George Hearst . After moving to New York City, Hearst acquired
17750-515: Was appointed as the first woman Regent of University of California, Berkeley , donated funds to establish libraries at several universities, funded many anthropological expeditions, and founded the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology . Hearst attended preparatory school at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire . He gained admission to Harvard College , and began attending in 1885. While there, he
17892-519: Was at once a militant nationalist, a staunch anti-communist after the Russian Revolution , and deeply suspicious of the League of Nations and of the British, French, Japanese, and Russians. Following Hitler's rise to power, Hearst became a supporter of the Nazi Party , ordering his journalists to publish favorable coverage of Nazi Germany, and allowing leading Nazis to publish articles in his newspapers. He
18034-556: Was born on December 14, 1860, in Rushville, Rush, Indiana. His father died when he was 21, and Wilber moved to Santa Cruz, California where his half-sister Hester Ann lived with her husband C. J. Todd. He worked in a local nursery and on a threshing machine crew in the Salinas Valley. In 1885, Harlan homesteaded in Big Sur and filed his claim of 167 acres (68 ha) in the San Francisco Land Office. Wilber Harlan grew up on
18176-502: Was built in March 1928 near Salmon Creek for 120 prisoners and 20 free men. They worked north toward Big Creek, about 46 miles (74 km) south of Carmel. In July 1928, a second camp was built near the mouth of the Little Sur River on the El Sur Ranch about 18 miles (29 km) south of Carmel. They worked on an 8 miles (13 km) section of the highway from 9 miles (14 km) to the south, to Rocky Creek, about 4 miles (6.4 km) to
18318-611: Was closed in 1932. Soon after, the Dani house burned down. The Benedictine Order of Camaldolese monks acquired the Lucia Ranch property in 1958. The hermitage became known as the Immaculate Heart Hermitage . Due to the difficult terrain and lack of access, settlement of the Big Sur region was primarily concentrated in the north near the Big Sur River and in the south near Lucia. About two or three dozen individual homesteads dotted
18460-458: Was coined by Wallace Irwin . Hearst was on the left wing of the Progressive Movement , speaking on behalf of the working class (who bought his papers) and denouncing the rich and powerful (who disdained his editorials). With the support of Tammany Hall (the regular Democratic organization in Manhattan), Hearst was elected to Congress from New York in 1902 and 1904. He made a major effort to win
18602-506: Was common with claims before the Public Land Commission , Estrada's legal claim was costly and took many years to resolve. Estrada mortgaged the ranch to Domingo Pujol, a Spanish-born San Francisco lawyer, who represented him. Estrada was unable to pay the loan and Pujol foreclosed on it. Estrada did not have the title to the land. Hearst sued, but ended up with only 1,340 acres (5.4 km ) of Estrada's holdings. Rancho Milpitas
18744-452: Was filmed on site at the lodge. The lodge saw a spike in bookings following the release of the series. Big Sur Coast Highway Big Sur Coast Highway is a section of California State Route 1 through the Big Sur region of California that is widely considered to be one of the most scenic driving routes in the United States, if not the world. It is both a National Scenic Highway and
18886-575: Was initially called the Carmel-San Simeon Highway, but was better known as the Roosevelt Highway, honoring then-current President Franklin D. Roosevelt . The road was frequently closed for extended periods during the winter, making it a seasonal route. The new route was incorporated into the state highway system and re-designated as Highway 1 in 1939. In 1940, the state contracted for "the largest installation of guard rail ever placed on
19028-439: Was not due to mere jingoism, although "the democratic ideals and humanitarianism that inspired their coverage are largely lost to history," as are their "heroic efforts to find the truth on the island under unusually difficult circumstances." The Journal's journalistic activism in support of the Cuban rebels, rather, was centered around Hearst's political and business ambitions. Perhaps the best known myth in American journalism
19170-483: Was not enough. The final cost when the road was completed 18 years later was $ 19 million (equivalent to $ 445.08 million in 2023). About 70,000 pounds (32,000 kg) of dynamite was used to help blast more than 10,000,000 cubic yards (7,600,000 m ) of granite, marble and sandstone. Bixby Bridge alone required 300,000 board feet of Douglas fir, 6,600 cubic yards (5,000 m ) of concrete, and 600,000 pounds (270,000 kg) of reinforcing steel . The road
19312-407: Was primarily concentrated near the Big Sur River and present-day Lucia, and individual settlements along a 25 miles (40 km) stretch of coast between the two. The northern and southern regions of the coast were isolated from one another. In 1900, the country improved the road south to the forks of the Little Sur River. Charles Howland, who drove the mail stage between Monterey and Big Sur, built
19454-401: Was quickly supplanted by a tourism-oriented economy. Highway 1 has been at capacity for many years. The state legislature permanently limited the road along the Big Sur coast to two lanes, halting any proposals to upgrade the route to a freeway. In 1977, the U.S. Forest Service noted in its environmental impact statement, "Highway 1 has reached its design capacity during peak-use periods." It
19596-613: Was renewed. Convicts were paid $ 2.10 per day but the cost of clothing, food, medical attention, toilet articles, transportation to the camp, construction tools, and even their guards was deducted from their pay. Actual wages were just under $ 0.34 per day. If a convict escaped, the law provided for a reward of $ 200 for their capture and return. The reward was also automatically deducted from the convict's pay. San Quentin State Prison set up three temporary prison camps to provide unskilled convict labor to help with road construction. The first
19738-470: Was the fifth wettest since 1872. At the Big Sur Maintenance Station, 8.45 inches of rain was recorded in one 24-hour period on December 23. Torrential rains caused flood conditions throughout Monterey County and Highway 1 in Big Sur was closed in numerous locations due to slides. A series of storms in the winter of 1983 caused four major road-closing slides between January and April, including
19880-445: Was the inventor of the dizzy comic strip Krazy Kat . Not especially popular with either readers or editors when it was first published, in the 21st century, it is considered a classic, a belief once held only by Hearst himself. In 1929, he became one of the sponsors of the first round-the-world voyage in an airship, the LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin from Germany. His sponsorship was conditional on
20022-642: Was the main inspiration for Charles Foster Kane , the lead character in Orson Welles ' film Citizen Kane (1941). His Hearst Castle , constructed on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean near San Simeon , has been preserved as a State Historical Monument and is designated as a National Historic Landmark . Hearst was born in San Francisco to George Hearst on April 29, 1863, a millionaire mining engineer, owner of gold and other mines through his corporation, and his much younger wife Phoebe Apperson Hearst , from
20164-509: Was unfailingly polite, unassuming, "impeccably calm", and indulgent of "prima donnas, eccentrics, bohemians, drunks, or reprobates so long as they had useful talents" according to historian Kenneth Whyte. Hearst's activist approach to journalism can be summarized by the motto, "While others Talk, the Journal Acts." The New York Journal and its chief rival, the New York World, mastered
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