Tassajara Hot Springs
Tasajera is a Spanish-American word derived from an indigenous Esselen language, which designates a "place where meat is hung to dry.
The last 8.2 miles (13.2 km) of the road into the springs is extremely narrow and steep, and visitors are encouraged to use four-wheel drive vehicles or take a shuttle from Jamesburg, California, where the Zen Center maintains offices.
The observed dips at least suggest that Tassajara Hot Springs issue at a locality where Arroyo Seco crosses a zone of intense pressure in the underlying crystalline rocks.
The carbonate radicle reported is presumably calculated from the alkalinity determination and doubtless includes sulphides and possibly silicates.
Although they are common to thermal sulphur springs, the relatively large volume of water in the creek at Tassajara Hot Springs, its comparatively slow cooling, and the presence of both swift currents and of quiet pools, affords an unusually good opportunity to observe growth variations.
[4] The springs were first used by native Esselen people who occupied the area for at least a thousand years before the Spanish colonial period.
Swan wrote, "Frequently there would be several tribes there at one time but because of the great abundance of wild game of all kinds and fish they had no trouble living.
"[5] The native people were subjugated by Spanish missionaries beginning in 1770 through the California Mission system under Father Junípero Serra.
[7] By the time of the American Civil War, the Europeans who came upon Tassajara found few traces of the Esselens' earlier presence.
A few Esselen apparently continued to live in the region until at least the 1840s, escaping the harsh conditions of the mission and disease due to their remoteness.
The first mining claim for the area was recorded during the period of May 1–25, and it was named the "Vulcan Ledge", including "the stream of water called 'Agua Caliente'" (that is, the Tassajara Hot Springs).
In 1901, their daughter May married the resort manager William Jeffrey, whose family owned the Jeffries Hotel in Salinas.
In 1931, she remarried James B. Holohan, a former U.S Marshal, warden of San Quentin Prison, and later a California State Senator.
Myers had worked at the springs as a young man, and was then owner of a large growing, packing, and shipping company in Salinas.
He planned to build a helicopter landing pad across from the plunges and add a aerial tram that would ferry guests across the stream and to the door of the hotel.
He planned a helicopter shuttle service from the Salinas to Tassajara and try to gained the interest of San Francisco businessman.
[11] Actor Phil Terry, who was married to Joan Crawford from 1942 to 1946, turned to real estate investment later in life.
[21] The Becks made many improvements and founded the non-profit Tassajara Wilderness Trust and began offering a series of workshops.
They initially considered selling the Horse Pasture property, and possible buyers included publisher Lawrence Lane, who owned Sunset (magazine), the Monterey County Roughriders, and a vice-president of Pacific Gas & Electric.
The San Francisco Zen Center also indicated interest, but did not have the financing, and had to resort to fundraising from individuals like Chester Carlson, the founder of Xerox.
It was an inholding within the borders of the Ventana Wilderness within the Santa Lucia Mountains in Monterey County, California and was owned by the Beck family until 2016.
Five semi-trained staff members chose to remain behind, against the advice of professional fire-fighting personnel, and successfully defended the resort from the fire.
[28] The springs and surrounding property are privately owned by the San Francisco Zen Center, which purchased the land from Robert and Anna Beck.
