1956 Map of Pfeiffer Point

About this map

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park dominates this coastal landscape where the Big Sur River meets the sea. The 1956 survey, with photorevisions from 1981, captures a transition between protected wilderness and the managed recreation of Los Padres National Forest. The map documents early community landmarks like the Pfeiffer Sch and the Big Sur Guard Sta, alongside a small Dam on the river. Coastal topography is rendered in sharp detail from Cooper Point down to the rocky outcroppings of Pfeiffer Rock and the sands of Wreck Beach. Further inland, the map identifies small family-named sites such as Graves and Posta, likely associated with earlier homesteading or ranching in the Mule Canyon area. The presence of the State Game Refuge and Ventana Wilderness Boundary highlights the long-standing conservation efforts along this portion of the Coast Hwy.