A Brief History of Pt Lobos for Divers
Most visitors who travel to the Pt Lobos headland come to see the magnificent West Coast scenery. Indeed Pt Lobos has some of the best views and relatively unspoiled landscape in Central California. For such a small area it packs in an enormous breadth of biodiversity, from the Monterey Cypress trees to the coyotes wandering those forests and of course the majestic seascapes. However most people who visit only scratch the surface, quite literally. As with the World two-thirds of the Pt Lobos domain is underwater. The topography and wildlife underwater is just as amazing as that on the surface. The underwater pinnacles, walls and rock formations are as amazing and life drenched as those on the surface – some would say better. Before we look at that underwater world a brief history of the Pt Lobos area is in order. This will help with understanding the surface landmarks used to navigate the underwater world.
It is difficult to know exactly when human habitation began at Pt Lobos. However based on observations and discoveries at Pt Lobos it is apparent that local indigenous peoples, collectively known as the Rumsen tribes (although there is some disagreement on the name), had seasonal camps at the site for about 2,500 years. Like subsequent inhabitants of the area they too came to harvest abalone from the sea during the summer months, evidenced by the shells left in their middens. Although European explorers arrived around 1600 in Carmel Bay the earliest true ‘Western’ influence on the area begins in about 1770 when Spanish cowboys (Vaqueros) came to herd cattle on Pt Lobos land, under the auspices of the nearby Carmel Mission. The Spanish influence did not last long and in 1822 control of Alta California was ceded to Mexico. The new authorities continued many of the Spanish traditions, including issuing grants for free land to its citizens. The first ‘owner’ of Pt Lobos was Don Jose Escobar, whose ranch, Rancho San Jose y Chiquito, encompassed the Pt Lobos area. Subsequently the land passed through many and varied hands and it was not until 1888 that the area once again was owned by a single entity.
The record of habitation at Pt Lobos begins to solidify starting in 1851 with the arrival of a few Chinese families to establish a fishing village on the headland. A cabin built and used by the Chinese settlers can still be seen at the south end of Whalers Cove. It houses many artifacts from Lobos among the eclectic collection of material. Well worth a visit when conditions are not good for diving. The cabin was occupied from 1851 until 1983 by various families, workers and in later years by park staff.
In 1862 Portuguese whalers arrived at ‘Whalers Cove’ to harvest the whales that migrate along the west coast. Fortunately around 1880 progress in petroleum production and refinement made the whale hunt uneconomic - kerosene supplanting whale oil. The now unemployed whalers of the Carmelo Whaling Company moved into cattle ranching, producing meat, milk and cheese instead of whale oil. In 1897 the Portuguese whalers returned to assist the Japanese in another whaling venture called the Japanese Whaling Company.
The next phase in the chronology of Pt Lobos sees a more industrial use of the natural resources. At the end of the 19th century Japanese abalone fishermen arrived at Whalers Cove. A.M. Allan, who had purchased Pt Lobos in 1898, and G. Kodani jointly established an Abalone Cannery in what is now Whalers Cove car park. The cannery continued operation until around 1928. The development of Pt Lobos now accelerated under the ownership of A.M. Allan. Not only was an Abalone Cannery established but sand and gravel mining began. In addition ranching and dairy farming continued as a source of revenue. In 1899 A.M. Allan began to charge (50¢/vehicle - about $10 today) visitors for access to his property, perhaps a visionary move in preserving the headland for future generations.
Diving comes to Whalers Cove. Once all the shallow water abalone had been harvested it was necessary to move out to deeper and colder water. This change necessitated the introduction of the first diving gear into the cove. The usual dive gear at that time consisted of a rubber dive suit, with a wool undergarment, brass helmet and shoulder plate, lead weights, 16-pound shoes and 150ft of air hose. They also used a safety lifeline just in case. These early divers were probably the first to witness the underwater majesty of Pt Lobos, although they were probably more concerned with prising abalone from their hiding places. A dive suit is one of the exhibits that can be found in the Whalers Cabin.
Although Pt Lobos looks pristine and natural today that was not always the case. Granite quarrying actually began at Whalers Cove in 1854. Up to 35 quarry workers joined the Chinese families in the cove. The remnants of the quarry can be still be seen 150 years later behind the Whalers Cove car park. The quarried granite ended up in buildings in Monterey and even the San Francisco Mint. So when wandering around these areas you maybe closer to Pt Lobos than you think.
In 1877 coal mining begun at Mal Paso Canyon, south of Pt Lobos. The "Carmelo Land and Coal Company" purchased much of the land in 1888. The only economic way to get the coal out of the area relied upon the sea. To this end a coal chute was constructed on a bluff in Whalers Cove to deliver the coal directly to waiting coastal steamers. The area is now called ‘Coal Chute Point’. The coal, lignite, was poor quality and financially the operation was not viable so when a land slip in 1898 closed the mine no attempts were made to reopen access.
The sand on San Jose Creek Beach is rich in quartzite, a prized commodity by glassmakers. Consequently around 1899 tracks were laid to take the sand directly to Whalers Cove for transshipment by sea to glass manufacturers in Alameda. During WWII the sand mined at Pt Lobos was used to sand blast the bottom of ships. Commercial removal of the sand ceased in 1954. In the 1920s there was a brief period of gravel mining. The gravel was used as a roofing material.
Before A.M. Allan purchased Pt Lobos in 1898 the Carmel Land and Coal Company had owned clear title to the land from 1888. They had subdivided their property with the intention of building homes at Whalers Cove. They sold lots of 25ft and 50ft for up to $50 (about $1500 today) each. The coal mining business was in decline and this was one way of recouping some of their investment. Although a few of the subdivisions had been sold over time A.M. Allan negotiated the purchase of these parcels, eventually getting the subdivisions removed from the county record in the 1920's. This act essentially preserved Pt Lobos for future generations. Indeed in 1933 this action allowed Pt Lobos to become part of the new State Park System. The State of California purchased Pt Lobos from Mr. Allan's heirs for about $630,000 (about $10M today). Otherwise the area would have been another township along Highway 1. Pt Lobos is now both a State Marine Reserve (SMR) close to shore and a State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) between 2 and 3nm out (as of May 2007).
During the war years Pt Lobos was closed to the public for the duration. The area was taken over initially for coastal anti-aircraft installations. This was followed later by long range radar. Finally the beaches in Whalers Cove were used to train Amphibious Landing Craft brigades. These skills would be put to good use in the Southwest Pacific during the latter stages of WWII.
Life at Pt Lobos was not all work, there was also a lot of play. Many movies (about 48 to date) were filmed in or around Pt Lobos. In particular just a few include: “Valley of the Moon (1914)”, “The Love Light (1921)”, “Foolish Wives (1922)”, “ The Eleventh Hour (1923)”, “Greed (1924)”, “Iron Mask, The (1929)”, “Evangeline (1929)”, “Daddy Long Legs (1931)”, “Paddy, The Next Best Thing (1933)”, “He was her Man (1934)”, “Treasure Island (1934)”, “Captain January (1936)”, “Conquest (1937)”, “Maid of Salem (1937), “Rebecca (1939)” substituting for the south of France no less, “Edge of Darkness (1943)” now in Norway, “Lassie Come Home (1943)”, “The Sandpiper (1965)”, “The Graduate (1967)”, “Turner and Hooch (1989)”. There were quite a few!
Finally, have you ever wondered why Pt Lobos is so named?...During the Spanish occupation it was called Punta de los Lobos Marinos, Point of the Sea Wolves, due to the barking of local sea lions; it apparently has nothing to do with wolves.
Orientation Map for Whalers Cove
