Malpaso Creek
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| Malpaso Creek | |
|---|---|
 Malpaso Creek after rain | |
  Location of the mouth of Malpaso Creek in California | |
| Etymology | Spanish: mal (bad) + paso (pass or step) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | |
• location | Little Malpaso Beach |
• coordinates | 36°28′53″N 121°56′17″W / 36.481395°N 121.938060°W |
| Length | 4.25 mi (6.84 km) [1] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Malpaso Creek → Pacific Ocean |
Malpaso Creek is a small, coastal stream 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Carmel in Monterey County, California, United States. It is generally regarded as the northern border of Big Sur in central coastal California.[2][3] A low grade bituminous coal deposit was found in upper Malpaso Canyon in 1874. Actor and director Clint Eastwood bought 650 acres (260 ha) of land in the vicinity of the creek and named his production company Malpaso Productions after the creek.
The creek and its canyon also defines the northern border of Garrapata State Park. The mouth of the creek is located at Little Malpaso Beach where there is a small white sandy beach, tide pools, and a narrow cave.[4]
Etymology
The creek was named by the United States Coast Survey from the hand-drawn diseño of Rancho San Jose y Sur Chiquito.[5] The translation of the creek's name, "bad step",[6] or "bad crossing",[4] was based on how difficult it was to cross the abrupt canyon before a bridge was built across it in 1935.[4]
Geography and minerals
Beds of coarse sand and conglomerate containing coal occur in Malpaso Creek.[7] Malpaso creek is located in the Carmel Highlands,[8] immediately south of Yankee Point. The creek forms a natural northern boundary of the Big Sur region.[9]
In 1874, a seam of low grade bituminous coal was found in upper Malpaso Canyon.[10] On September 6, 1888, shortly after ownership of the Rancho San Jose y Sur Chiquito was resolved by a court, almost all of the claimants banded together to form the Carmelo Land and Coal Company.[11][12] A mine was dug into the mountain on the north bank of Malpaso Creek and the coal was transported on ore carts via a tramway to Coal Chute Point, opposite the Chinese settlement at Whaler's Cove on Point Lobos. The deep water allowed the workers to use the chute to deliver the coal directly to coastal steamers.[11][12]
But by 1896, the coal mine was unprofitable.[12] In 1897, Alexander MacMillan Allan, a successful race track architect and real estate developer from Pennsylvania, was hired to improve the coal mine operation. When he found the coal mine could not produce a profit, he purchased 640 acres (260 ha) of Point Lobos from the Carmelo Land and Coal Company in 1898.[13]
Fauna and flora
The creek was formerly the southern limit of fast-growing Monterey pine before the species was planted widely.[14] Local distribution of Pelvetiopsis arborescens occurs in the rocks near the creek,[15] as does Rhodophysema elegans var. polystromatica. Callophyllis linearis occurs on rocks north of the creek, Gloiopeltis furcata and Callophyllis crenulata occur near the creek, Dictyota binghamiae occurs at the 1 foot (0.30 m) tide level near the creek, and Fucus distichus subspecies edentatus f. abbreviatus occurs in the creek's exposed areas.[16] Cucumaria curata has been found in tidepools on exposed rock areas near the creek.[17]
Anglers fish for surfperch and rockfish along the creek's south shore.[4]: 148
