Deetjen's Big Sur Inn
Encyclopedia
Deetjen's Big Sur Inn is one of the oldest hotels in Big Sur
, a scenic area on the Monterey
coast of California
.
and eventually settled in Big Sur. He soon married Helen Haight, a member of the important California Haight family. Henry Huntly Haight was the 10th Governor of California, and many places in San Francisco were named for this family. The couple moved to Big Sur in the early 1930s; at first they lived in tents, but eventually they built a small house and a big barn.
The couple was quite hospitable and enjoyed sheltering and feeding travelers in the days before Highway 1
made travel easier along the Central Coast of California
. Eventually, they settled on Helen's forty acre
property in Castro Canyon, where they proceeded to build small cottage
s in the Norwegian style
and a restaurant known for its excellent food. Over time, the Deetjen's came to be known in the area as "Grandpa" and "Grandma".
The hotel has been very popular ever since for its rustic charm and beautiful scenery. The building has many historic features, including glass Helmuth made himself in King City
and brought over the mountains to Big Sur by mule. Helmuth died in 1972 and all of his holdings in the canyon were placed in a trust to ensure that they were not sold off piecemeal.
In 1990 Big Sur Inn was listed on the Register of Historic Places. A highly regarded photo book on its history called Big Sur Inn: The Deetjen Legacy (ISBN 1423600126) was released in 2006.
Big Sur
Big Sur is a sparsely populated region of the Central Coast of California where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur", "the big...
, a scenic area on the Monterey
Monterey County, California
Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. As of 2010, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas...
coast of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
History
In the late 1920s Helmuth Deetjen fled NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and eventually settled in Big Sur. He soon married Helen Haight, a member of the important California Haight family. Henry Huntly Haight was the 10th Governor of California, and many places in San Francisco were named for this family. The couple moved to Big Sur in the early 1930s; at first they lived in tents, but eventually they built a small house and a big barn.
The couple was quite hospitable and enjoyed sheltering and feeding travelers in the days before Highway 1
California State Route 1
State Route 1 , more often called Highway 1, is a state highway that runs along much of the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. It is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, leading to its designation as an All-American Road.Highway 1 does not run...
made travel easier along the Central Coast of California
Central Coast of California
The Central Coast is an area of California, United States, roughly spanning the area between the Monterey Bay and Point Conception. It extends through Santa Cruz County, San Benito County, Monterey County, San Luis Obispo County, and Santa Barbara County...
. Eventually, they settled on Helen's forty acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
property in Castro Canyon, where they proceeded to build small cottage
Cottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
s in the Norwegian style
Architecture of Norway
The architecture of Norway has evolved in response to changing economic conditions, technological advances, demographic fluctuations and cultural shifts...
and a restaurant known for its excellent food. Over time, the Deetjen's came to be known in the area as "Grandpa" and "Grandma".
The hotel has been very popular ever since for its rustic charm and beautiful scenery. The building has many historic features, including glass Helmuth made himself in King City
King City, California
King City is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. King City is located on the Salinas River southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 335 feet . It lies along U.S. Route 101 in the Salinas Valley of the Central Coast of California. King City is a member of the Association of...
and brought over the mountains to Big Sur by mule. Helmuth died in 1972 and all of his holdings in the canyon were placed in a trust to ensure that they were not sold off piecemeal.
Present day
Today the property is owned by the Deetjen's Big Sur Inn Preservation Foundation, and operated on a non-profit basis.In 1990 Big Sur Inn was listed on the Register of Historic Places. A highly regarded photo book on its history called Big Sur Inn: The Deetjen Legacy (ISBN 1423600126) was released in 2006.