When people from the Central Valley head to the coast for vacation their most common landing spots range from Hearst Castle in Cambria to the sand dunes in Pismo beach, however a hidden beauty lies halfway between both in the small coastal town of Cayucos. When traveling along California’s famous Highway 1 vacationers may overlook Cayucos as an old retirement town with a very small beach and few tourists. However Cayucos is much more than that, this petite coastal city offers its visitors hotels on the beach, sights of marine life, and has one location that lies at the heart of the community. First constructed in 1872, Captain James Cass built a pier to transport essential commodities with settlers that now holds sentimental value to local businesses, residents, and tourists.
Before one can fully appreciate the value of the pier, the history of the town must first be acknowledged. Around 10,000 B.C the Chumash colonized California from the Northern to Southern coastal areas such as: Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and San Luis Obispo. In fact many cities we know today like Pismo, Malibu and Cayucos inherited names with the Chumash origins. For example, the word Cayucos came from the Chumash word cayuco meaning a small canoe or kayak. These small boats were used to fish around the bay. A pivotal moment in the towns history came when Captain James Cass set sail from his home in New England and settled in Cayucos.
Upon arriving in 1867 Captain James Cass was quick to realize how sustainable the soil and location were. These visualizations caused him to invest his time and money into a soon to be successful shipping port. The most important and impactful investment Captain James Cass contributed was the building of what is now the Cayucos pier. The shipping port was originally constructed in 1872, which was three hundred eighty feet long. It was used to transport people and goods such as: dairy, grain cargo, lumber, beef and freshwater from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Since the shoreline was too shallow for the boats to hook onto the deck, he began to reconstruct in 1876. After the reconstruction, the port elongated to nine hundred eighty two feet. This type of transportation rose the local economy until railroads and trucks began to transport as well. By 1920 it was no longer considered a working port, years after this port became to hold the most sentimental value as the Cayucos pier. Many people visit the pier to fish, watch the marine life, or simply just enjoy the lovely fresh air. Because of Captain James Cass, Cayucos was well known for their successful shipping trades.
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As of today the pier holds a symbolic importance to history and the town. The importance of the pier to the people and businesses of Cayucos became evident once again when recent renovations were paid for by their donations. In return the donors received plaques with personal quotes and statements that now line the pier’s rails. For example Beachside Rentals Inc, a local business, donated and received a plaque which stated “‘Walk In Peace’ Beachside Rentals Inc loves and supports our pier and our community”. [See figure 1]
While you walk along the pier you can see why it holds so much nostalgia for the locals and tourists. Many wonderful sights and sounds can be seen and heard just by standing at the piers end. One of the most memorable views is the Nine Sisters rock, commonly known as Morro Rock, hidden amongst the condensation in the near distance. Annie Dillard’s descriptive words in her short essay Total Eclipse, “You see the wide world swaddled in darkness; you see a vast breadth of hilly land, and an enormous, distant, blackened valley” (Dillard 8) can be compared to the sight of darkness as the sun sets over the bay covering Morro Rock. While looking across the bay at Morro Rock, you can also see seagulls diving deep in the dark blue ocean hunting for fish along side the surfers.
