Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park: Warden's House - Big Sur CA

City:: Big Sur, CA
Site Type:: Parks and Recreation, Lodges, Ranger Stations and Visitor Centers, Shops and Auxiliary Buildings
New Deal Agencies:: Work Relief Programs, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
Started:: 1933
Completed:: 1941
Quality of Information:: Very Good
Marked:: No
Site Survival:: Extant

Description

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made extensive improvements to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park on the central California coast, developing it for public recreational use. The state parks commission acquired the land in 1933, but had no funds for development. The CCC worked in the park from 1933 to 1941, but the sources do not always specify exact dates for each improvement.

The CCC enrollees built a lovely home for the park warden (head ranger) near the entrance to the park. It is constructed in classic “park rustic” style with a stone foundation and craftsman wood structure above.

Next door stands a smaller structure that houses the Ewoldsen Memorial Nature Center.

They are found on the other side of the Big Sur River from the lodge, main campground and picnic areas, and are best reached via the modern footbridge across the river.

Source notes

Joseph H. Engbeck, Jr., By the People, For the People: The Work of the Civilian Conservation Corps in California State Parks, 1933-1941. (Sacramento: California State Parks, 2002), pp. 89-94.

Site originally submitted by Richard Walker on February 19, 2023.
Additional contributions by Joan Greer.