John Little State Natural Reserve is a small natural area protecting a section of steep, rugged cliffs and bluffs along the

Big Sur Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Carmel Highlands and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Range, Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from th ...

coast of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States. The reserve encloses the mouth of Lime Creek and contains the 1917 cabin built by Elizabeth K. Livermore, an early conservationist.

Location

It is located north of Lucia and south of the

Esalen Institute The Esalen Institute, commonly called Esalen, is a non-profit American Retreat (spiritual), retreat center and intentional community in Big Sur, California, which focuses on humanism, humanistic alternative education. The institute played a ke ...

Monterey County Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is ...

California State Route 1 State Route 1 (SR 1) is a major north–south state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, ...

. A small portion of the reserve extends across Highway 1 at the north end. The park was established in 1953.

Establishment

Elizabeth "Beth" King Livermore was the daughter of Horatio Putnam Livermore and Helen (née Eells), a socially prominent

Marin County, California Marin County ( ) is a County (United States), county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat a ...

family. She was born on March 9, 1884. John Little owned

Slates Hot Springs Slates Hot Springs (also known as Big Sur Hot Springs, Slate's Hot Springs, Slate's Springs, and Slate's Hot Sulphur Springs) is the site of a hot spring in the Big Sur region of Monterey County, California. It is located north-northwest of Lope ...

, one of the first resorts along the Big Sur Coast. He tried his hand at farming the few acres of arable land. Beth Livermore rode a pinto horse into Big Sur and fell in love with the area. She homesteaded a piece of land on a ridge just south of the hot springs and built a cabin in 1917. She worked the land herself, including planting Torrey Pines ('' Pinus torreyana'') on the ridge. In 1909, Little's wife, the former Antoinette (Nettie) McWay, separated from her husband and moved to Pacific Grove, where her children could receive an education. Beth and John Little became romantically involved. In 1947, Beth Livermore married Matthew Schmidt, who had recently been paroled from San Quentin, where he had been imprisoned for being a getaway driver in the 1910 anarchist bombing of the ''Los Angeles Times'' building. On the evening of June 1, 1954 Livermore was fatally injured when she drove her car into Big Creek after visiting friends. Matt, who was in the car with her, unsuccessfully tried to keep her head above water.Early Photograph of the Ventana Backcountry
/ref> Livermore left and her cabin with instructions that it be used as a state park. Livermore called the property 'Rancho Para Todos' (Ranch For Everyone). Her wealthy nephews Putnam Livermore was her only heir. He had connections in the California State Parks System from 1950 to 1980. Putnam was a co-founder of the

Trust for Public Land The Trust for Public Land is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a mission to "create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come". Since its founding in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has compl ...

. He helped prominent conservationist Harriet Burgess, founder of the

American Land Conservancy The American Land Conservancy was an American non-profit organization whose goal was to protect the natural environment. About the American Land Conservancy American Land Conservancy was a non-profit land conservation organization dedicated to ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, transfer the property and turn it into a natural reserve. She instructed that the park be named her friend John Little. Putnam Livermore's Parks
/ref>

Access

State natural reserves are created to protect natural landscapes, including plants and animals or specific geological features. The reserve has no facilities and is not open to the public. The gated driveway to the Livermore cabin is located south of the

along the

Big Sur Coast Highway Big Sur Coast Highway is a section of California State Route 1 through the Big Sur region of California that is widely considered to be one of the most scenic driving routes in the United States, if not the world. It is both a National Scenic ...

. There are vehicle pull-outs along the highway with views of the ocean.John Little State Natural Reserve
/ref>

References

External links

John Little State Natural Reserve
{{Monterey County tourist attractions, state=collapsed California State Reserves Protected areas of Monterey County, California Protected areas established in 1953 1953 establishments in California Santa Lucia Range Big Sur

Location

Establishment

Access

See also

References

External links