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History · San Simeon

A history of San Simeon,
then and now

Postcards, papers and photographs of San Simeon from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.

9old images & papers
1historic places
14recent photos
From San Simeon’s archive · credits on each photo

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Humans first settled the local area at least 11,000 years ago. Prehistorically, the local area was inhabited by the Chumash people, including a large village south of San Simeon at Morro Creek.

In 1542 the coastal exploration of Juan Cabrillo discovered the bay and named it the Bay of Sardines.

The first European land exploration of Alta California, the Spanish Portolà expedition, traveled northwest along the coast in September 1769. On September 11–12, the party passed the future location of San Simeon. At Ragged Point, which is about 15 mi (24 km) past San Simeon, the party turned inland across the Santa Lucia Range.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

built from the dates on the items below
1890sHearst pierCommons
1920s2 items · William R. Hearst's home, with main b…LOC
1930–1979Nothing in the archives yet
1980s6 items · Aerial view of William Randolph Hears…LOC
1990–1999Nothing yet. Family albums go here.
Help out

Finish San Simeon’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewHearst pier, 1890s: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from San SimeonWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in San Simeon.Meet them →
By decade

San Simeon, decade by decade

1890s1 item
Hearst pierCommonsHearst pier1890s
1920s2 items
William R. Hearst's home, with main building under constructionLOCWilliam R. Hearst's home, with main building under construc…1924Sitting room in Casa del Sol, a guest cottage at Hearst CastleLOCSitting room in Casa del Sol, a guest cottage at Hearst Cas…1924
1930s–
1970s
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
1980s6 items
Aerial view of William Randolph Hearst's "Hearst Castle" and the surrounding central California coast terrainLOCAerial view of William Randolph Hearst's "Hearst Castle" an…1980Aerial view of William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon estate in the coastal mountains of CaliforniaLOCAerial view of William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon estate …1980Aerial view of William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon estate in the coastal mountains of CaliforniaLOCAerial view of William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon estate …1980Aerial view of William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon estate in the coastal mountains of CaliforniaLOCAerial view of William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon estate …1980Aerial view of William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon estate in the coastal mountains of CaliforniaLOCAerial view of William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon estate …1980Aerial view of William Randolph Hearst's "Hearst Castle" and his San Simeon estate in CaliforniaLOCAerial view of William Randolph Hearst's "Hearst Castle" an…1980
1990s–
1990s
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today14 photos
The Neptune Pool is an outdoor swimming pool ensemble at Hearst CastleLOCThe Neptune Pool is an outdoor swimming pool ensemble at He…2013The Neptune Pool is an outdoor swimming pool ensemble at Hearst CastleLOCThe Neptune Pool is an outdoor swimming pool ensemble at He…2013The Neptune Pool is an outdoor swimming pool ensemble at Hearst CastleLOCThe Neptune Pool is an outdoor swimming pool ensemble at He…2013The Neptune Pool is an outdoor swimming pool ensemble at Hearst CastleLOCThe Neptune Pool is an outdoor swimming pool ensemble at He…2013Views from Pacific Coast Highway, Scenic State Route 1, a major north-south state highway that runs along most of the P…CommonsViews from Pacific Coast Highway, Scenic State Route 1, a m…2012Pacific overlook on a foggy morningCommonsPacific overlook on a foggy morning2011Man's Best Friend, San Simeon CA 1976CommonsMan's Best Friend, San Simeon CA 19762011Light fixtureCommonsLight fixture2011Blue Star Memorial Highway, California, USACommonsBlue Star Memorial Highway, California, USA201141 SAM 2831Commons41 SAM 28312010Spanish style Building inCommonsSpanish style Building in2009Convenient motelCommonsConvenient motel2009SEBASTIAN STORE, SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, CACommonsSEBASTIAN STORE, SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, CA2008Earthquake near San Simeon, California (4088)CommonsEarthquake near San Simeon, California (4088)2002
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in San Simeon is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean San Simeon has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Old Santa Rosa Catholic Church and Cemetery in Cambria, 4.8 miles away.

San Simeon and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = San Simeon. Tap a dot.
Old Santa Rosa Catholic Church and CemeteryGuthrie HouseHearst San Simeon EstatePiedras Blancas Light StationLincoln SchoolTognini and Ghezzi Building

Closest to San Simeon

Old Santa Rosa Catholic Church and CemeteryCambria · Built 18704.8miGuthrie HouseCambria · Building4.9miHearst San Simeon EstateSan Simeon · Built 19195miPiedras Blancas Light StationSan Simeon · Built 18758.9miLincoln SchoolLake Nacimiento · Building16.2mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Old Santa Rosa Catholic Church and Cemetery’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in San Simeon?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to San Simeon’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Hearst pier (1890s) and it appears here side by side.

🔁 Retake this view · +15

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Morro Bay📜 Atascadero📜 El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles)📜 San Luis Obispo

From Wikimedia Commons (11), the Library of Congress (12) and the National Register (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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