Post Ranch Inn began with a handshake in 1984, but the history of
the area goes back much further. Carbon dating indicates the Costanoan
Indians inhabited the region for more than 3,600 years. Most of the
Indians eventually succumbed to disease introduced by soldiers and
missionaries, and Big Sur remained relatively devoid of inhabitants
until the 1860s, when the first western pioneers arrived on the scene.
William Brainard Post, an 18-year-old Connecticut Yankee, stepped
off a ship in Monterey in 1848. A spirited explorer and entrepreneur,
W.B. Post spent his early years on the California coast hunting
grizzly bear and deer. He later traded in his buckskin and became
a businessman, starting the first grain warehouse in Moss Landing
and the first butcher shop in Castroville.
In 1850, W. B. married Anselma Onesimo, of Costanoan descent, with
whom he had five children. When he took out a claim on 160 acres
of land in Big Sur, he became one of the region's first homesteaders.
With the help of his sons, he built a cabin. The red New England-style
house, a registered historical landmark, still stands on Highway
1 across from the entrance to Post Ranch Inn. The Post family raised
cattle and hogs and exported apples from a thriving orchard.
W.B. and Anselma's youngest son, Joe, married Elizabeth Gilkey,
a neighbor of Cherokee descent, and eventually bought up claims
from both of their families, accumulating nearly 1,500 acres, including
the area of Post Ranch Inn. Together the adventurous couple ran
the ranch and acquired the wilderness around Big Sur. Their son
Bill continued the family tradition of leading trips and working
as a cowboy and rancher.
While carrying mail from Monterey to Big Sur, Bill met Irene Fredericks,
a city girl whose romance with Bill turned her summer visit to Big
Sur into a lifelong stay. The couple opened Rancho Sierra Mar, a
small resort and café near the Post family home, which they ran
with their two children, Billy and Mary.
Bill Post has been in Big Sur most of his life, and there were
many chores on the self-sufficient homestead. After serving in the
Marine Corps in WW II, Bill came home to run the ranch. He was raising
two daughters on his own when he met and married Luci.
Over the years, it grew difficult to hold onto the old style of
ranching. In the early 1980s, a close friend and neighbor approached
Bill and Luci with the idea of turning the land into an inn that
would preserve the integrity and history of the Post family's property.
After shaking hands on the deal, they sealed the Post partnership
with a shot of Jack Daniels, which has since become the Inn's unofficial
drink. When an agreement was signed years later, the partnership
bought Bill a tractor, which he used to do nearly all the excavation
and grading to build the Inn.
The Inn has been a Post family project in more than one way. It
was Bill's idea to honor the early history of Big Sur by using the
ranch cattle brands as the logo and naming each guest room after
Post family and friends. Luci put together the library. The late
Mary Post Fleenor ran the Rancho Sierra Mar café until it closed
in 1972. On its opening night, the new Sierra Mar restaurant was
dedicated to Mary.
A couple of days a week you can find Bill at breakfast at Sierra Mar. You are invited to join him and view his photographs of the old family homestead and cattle ranch. What better way to learn about a place than with someone
who has been exploring it for more than 80 years?
Architecture & Design
There are many designers, artists and crafts people who have contributed
so much to the creation of Post Ranch Inn.
We celebrate our Architects and Interior Designer:
Mickey Muennig, Original Architect & Visionary
A native of Joplin, Missouri, G.K. (Mickey) Muennig studied with
Bruce Goff at the University of Oklahoma, where he was drawn to
the principles of "organic architecture." Following apprenticeships
with various architects, most of whom had been students of Goff
or Frank Lloyd Wright, he established architectural practices in
Joplin and Denver, Colorado. A trip to Big Sur in 1971 inspired
him to stay, and he has been a practicing architect here ever since.
Muennig has consulted with the Human Dimensions Foundation, working
with solar energy, water recycling, and "bio-structure" development.
Passive solar heating is employed in most of his structures, and
he is committed to design that respects the natural environment.
Muennig´s work has been shown in museums in this country and in
Europe and has been featured in numerous international publications.
Vladimir Frank, Expansion Rooms Architect
Vladimir Frank, AIA, a native of Prague, Czech Republic, studied at the University of Applied Arts in Prague and The Royal College of Arts in London. He practiced architecture in Prague, London and Athens, Greece, before coming to America. Principal and owner of Vladimir Frank, AIA, Architects, in Los Gatos, California, he has practiced architecture in the U.S. for over 20 years.
Dedication to design quality, environmental responsibility and sustainable architecture are the guiding principles of Frank's work. More than environmentally friendly, his architecture strives to enhance the experience of connecting the inside and outside.
Frank's team of architects has worked on diverse projects, including hospitality & resort, commercial, educational and residential architecture. His commitment to excellence in architecture has been recognized on national and international levels, including numerous awards.
Janet Gay Freed, Interior Designer
"...defining design is like explaining what love is - bold, gentle,
wondrous, simple, less is more, color, texture, light."
Born in Illinois, polished in California, Janet Freed attended
Parkland College and Western Design Institute. She does both residential
and commercial design in the San Francisco Bay area, Big Sur and
now - Fiji. Jean Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort has been created
with the same innovative vision and spirit as sister property Post
Ranch Inn. Her work has been featured in Metropolitan Home, Travel
& Leisure, Islands and Vogue.
