McWay Falls
| McWay Falls | |
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McWay Falls
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| Location | Big Sur, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Monterey County, California, USA |
| Type | Plunge/Tide fall |
| Total height | 80 feet (24 m) |
| Number of drops | 1 |
McWay Falls is an 80 feet (24 m) waterfall that flows year-round from McWay Creek in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, about 37 miles (60 km) south of Carmel, California. The waterfall is one of two in California that cascade directly into the ocean, the other being Alamere Falls.
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.
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.
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.
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