The Dunites

by Norman Hammond

One of the best, perhaps the most charming books written regarding the history of San Luis Obispo County, California --a totally enjoyable, fascinating book that seems to absolutely delight everyone who reads it. It is the true story of a small, loose-knit community of bohemians, artists, writers, hermits, hoboes and spiritual seekers who lived wild, unfettered and rent-free in driftwood shacks and tents in the Pismo Beach Dunes (now the Oceano/Pismo Dunes) in the 1920s and 1930s.Considered totally far-out and weird by the local establishment of their era, the Dunites' fantastic history was swept under the carpet and nearly forgotten until Norm Hammond began his work on this book, tracking down the last of the living Dunites, locating rare art and crafts they created, books and poems, photos, and lore. Some of the Dunites even published a short-lived nationally distributed magazine, created in the Dunes, with contributions by photographers Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and other artists and philosophers who interacted with the Dunites and went on to greater fame. One of the most illustrious and flamboyant Dunites was astrologer, writer and socialite Gavin Arthur, grandson of United States President Chester Arthur. Also documented in this history are interactions between the Dunites and Indian guru Meher Baba and avant-garde musician John Cage, and others.

This book contains photographs and illustrations of and by the Dunites. Another great feature of this book is the charming maps drawn by Hammond, showing the exact locations of most of the Dunites' living quarters in the Dunes, the Dunite cabins having long since disappeared.

Genres: History

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Moira · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the very few books about the extraordinary inhabitants of the Oceano Dunes during a comparatively short period in the middle of the last century. (Doesn't THAT sound odd? I was BORN in the middle of the last century ...).

The written style is a bit simplistic in places, and Norm Hammond repeats some of the strange beliefs held by the Dunites without ever examining them ... but that isn't really what this book was for. He wrote it to preserve the memories of those who lived in the Dunes for future generations ... and that, he's done well.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of the mix of eccentric characters who made up this dune-landscape "community of individuals."

...For anyone coming to this book for the Meher Baba connection (Meher Baba visited some of the dunites there in 1934, on a side trip from LA), there's some further, extensive info. within the February 2005 issue of The Glow magazine, pp. 4-22, including a previously unpublished essay by Gavin Arthur on Meher Baba (with response by others), originally intended for an issue of Dune Forum. Also, the cabin Meher Baba stayed in at the time somehow still exists to this day, after being moved from the dunes in the late-1940s or '50s to Paso Robles St. near 13th street, and, according to McKean in The Glow, is now owned by the local historical society, Oceano Depot Association. So, thanks are due to Norm Hammond for writing this book, but also for having the sense to prevent Gavin's cabin from being burnt to the ground as part of a local fire department training exercise!

[Nancy Dobson Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history of a small group of people who occupied what is now the Pismo Dunes. Having lived in San Luis Obispo county, I enjoyed reading the story of these quirky free spirits. Very quick read, but fascinating and unique.