The Remarkable History of Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn

A Brief History

In the early 1930s, Helmuth and Helen Haight Deetjen resided in a tent beside Castro Canyon Creek. Helmuth skillfully crafted a redwood barn using reclaimed materials from Monterey’s Cannery Row. News of this quaint abode spread, attracting adventurous travelers seeking weeks of hiking, writing, dining, and play. By 1939, Barbara Blake transformed the main building into a restaurant reminiscent of her native English countryside. Today, this space forms the heart of Deetjen’s, where guests revel in candlelit meals, wine sipping, and fireside warmth.

Over the years, Helmuth expanded the Inn, utilizing locally milled redwood and imbuing each room with a distinct personality and matching name. Affectionately known as "Grandpa" Deetjen, he recreated the architecture of his native Norway, contributing to the development of the now-iconic Big Sur building style. The cozy rooms are adorned with the memories of decades, as guests have added their tales to the Inn’s journals, creating a compelling chronicle to peruse.

In his golden years, Grandpa reveled in the melodic strains of classical music, savored sips of red wine, and relished the intellectual richness that solitude brought. Meanwhile, Helen Deetjen, affectionately known as "Mrs. D.," presided over her quarters. Her notable fondness for See's chocolates added to her distinctive figure. A local fixture, she became the go-to source for both authentic and creatively spun juicy gossip.

For generations, the invigorating air, towering redwood forests, captivating ocean vistas, and serene ambiance of Big Sur have been a wellspring of inspiration for artists. The allure of this place has beckoned renowned writers like Robinson Jeffers, Richard Brautigan, Henry Miller, Lillian Bos Ross, Eric Barker, Hunter S. Thompson, and Jack Kerouac. Photographers, including the likes of Edward Weston and Ansel Adams, have immortalized the beauty of Big Sur through their lens, joining the ranks of countless others.

In an earlier era, local artistic luminaries such as George Choley, Gordon Newell, Edmund Kara, Emile Norman, Barbara Spring, and Bob Nash lived and found love within these scenic surroundings.

The existence of Deetjen’s Inn today is a testament to Helmuth "Grandpa" Deetjen's generosity. In 1972, he bequeathed his Big Sur home, ensuring that guests could forever relish the tranquility, camaraderie, and beauty of this place. Recognizing its historical significance, the US Department of the Interior added Deetjen's Big Sur Inn to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The Inn’s rustic, handcrafted charm and old-world ambiance evoke the experiences of visitors in Big Sur's early days.

Currently, the Inn is managed on a non-for-profit basis by the Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn Preservation Foundation.

Journal Entries at Deetjen’s

Another way the rich history of Deetjen’s is passed down is through the cherished tradition of journal writing, which has been a part of the Inn’s tapestry for over six decades. Guests from around the world have contributed their reflections, stories and heartfelt messages in journals found in each room, creating a living archive of shared experiences. These writings weave a timeless connection between past and present, allowing new visitors to immerse themselves in the collective soul of Deetjen’s while adding their own voices to its enduring story. Take a peek at each room’s history to see a selection of the notes guests have left.