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Dennis Murphy with Henry Miller - photo by Ansel Adams

Before the Institute existed, giants of literature and art including seminal figures in the Beat Poetry movement brought their creative talents to the area that became Esalen. Authors and painters regularly visited the site where the baths are housed today to soak in the hot springs and participate in the local social scene. The area became known as an artists' colony and a Bohemian sanctuary where a quiet social life could be enjoyed amongst creative minds in a beautiful wilderness setting. Those who adapted best to life in this early community of pioneers and artists were those who were exploring "alternative lifestyles," working on themselves and struggling to find their own way of being.

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1940s

Henry Miller, painter and author, spent time on the property before and after it became Esalen. From the 40s through the 70s he used the baths on a regular basis and contributed his creative energy to the Institute's rich intellectual and artistic scene. "It is here, and nowhere else," Miller wrote of Big Sur, "that I have witnessed people recast their lives and live them out."

Paul Herbert, photographer and community historian, was a caretaker on the property before it became Esalen. Starting in the 60s he became responsible for documenting life at the Institute. Over the decades he recorded hundreds of hours of presentations by some of the 20th century's most influential figures, creating the Dolphin Tapes series. Today Paul is Esalen's eldest resident.

Jack Kerouac was among the many Beat poets who frequented Esalen in the 50s and early 60s and shared their groundbreaking work with the community.

1950s

Emil White, painter, publisher of Big Sur tour guides and personal secretary to Henry Miller, lived on the property from the early 50s, before it was Esalen, up until his death in the early 80s. He promoted Miller's literature and art by founding and directing the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Beat-poetry luminary, often stayed on the property in the 50s before the Institute existed and participated in Esalen's social and cultural life in the early 60s.

Christopher Isherwood, novelist, playwright and teacher, began spending time on the property before Esalen existed. He continued to participate in the intellectual scene at the Institute during the 60s.

1940s and 50s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s