McWay Falls

Saddle Rock Ranch

In 1924, Lathrop Brown and his wife Hélène Hooper Brown visited Big Sur, California. They bought the Saddle Rock Ranch totalling 1,600 acres (650 ha) acres from pioneer homesteader Christopher McWay. Hélène was a good friend of Julia Pfieffer Burns until Julia died in 1928.

Julia's granddaughter Esther Julia Pfeiffer and her husband Hans Ewoldson were caretakers of the ranch for many years.

Residences

The Browns first built a rough redwood cabin on a site at the top of cliffs opposite McWay Falls. They replaced that in 1940 with a modern two-story home named Waterfall House. The entryway was inlaid with an ornamental brass fish, a gold octopus, and a compass rose. The interior was decorated with fine furnishings and classic paintings.

During the construction of the Carmel San Simeon Highway, Saddle Rock Ranch foreman Hans Ewoldsen worked in the machine shop of the highway construction crew to build a Pelton wheel. He used hand-split redwood from the canyon and other materials he bought. He installed the wheel on McWay Creek in 1932. The undershot wheel ran a 32-volt generator and was the first electric power in the Big Sur area. It supplied power to three residences, a blacksmith shop, and the Funicular railway.

Donated to state

Lathrop and Hélène left Big Sur for Florida in 1956 where Lathrop died in 1959. In 1961 Hélène Hooper Brown donated the entire property to the state, stipulating that it be used as a park and named for her good friend, Julia Pfeiffer Burns, "a true pioneer." She included the requirement that Waterfall House be converted into a "museum for the custody and display of indigenous Indian relics, flora and fauna of the California coastal area, and historical objects pertaining to the Big Sur country." The museum could not be completed in time for several reasons, including a competing museums, shortage of funds, and poor access to the site. As required by the terms of the gift, the mansion was demolished in 1965.

Topography

In 1983, Big Sur experienced one of the wettest years on record with 88.85 inches (2,257 mm) of rain. Up to this time, McWay Falls fell directly into the ocean. The huge rainfall resulted in several landslides and mudflows, including an extremely large mudslide immediately north of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park on March 1. The mudflow entering the ocean immediately to the north of the falls. Highway 1 was closed for a year while the road was repaired. Reconstruction deposited nearly 3,000,000 cubic yards (2,300,000 cubic metres) of landslide material at the base of the slope at the ocean. Wave action transported some of the debris south to the cove around McWay Falls, forming a sandy beach where none had existed. Loose material from the slope beneath the road is still contributing sand to the coastal system. Over time, the beach may wear away so that McWay Falls drops directly into the ocean again.

The fall now meets the ocean only when the tide is in. Due to the high cliffs surrounding the cove, the beach is inaccessible, and may be covered by surf at high tide. The outlet of McWay Creek at the top of McWay Falls is accessible by a half mile long trail from the road.

Current use

From the parking lot on Highway 1, visitors walk down a half-mile dirt path toward the ocean, through a short tunnel under the highway to the overlook. The Waterfall Overlook of McWay Falls was built on the site formerly occupied by the Brown's home. Visitors to the site today can view the remnants of the home's foundation, landscaping, including palm trees, and Funicular railway. The Pelton wheel is displayed in a small building.

In popular culture

McWay Falls is featured in the music video I Need a Doctor by Dr. Dre.