Whalers Cabin, Historic cabin in Point Lobos State Reserve, United States

Whalers Cabin is a wooden structure in Point Lobos State Reserve sitting on a coastal ledge above Whaler's Cove with original features from its 1850s origins. The cabin now serves as a museum where visitors learn about the maritime history of the area.

The cabin was built in the 1850s to house Japanese and Chinese fishermen. Shore whaling was conducted here by the Carmel Whaling Company from 1862 to 1884 and by the Japanese Whaling Company from 1898 to 1900. It was listed on the National Register in 2007, including one contributing building and one contributing site.

The cabin now holds a museum on the area's cultural history, with displays on the Japanese and Chinese fishermen housed here from the 1850s and on the Carmel Whaling Company crews. It also covers Point Lobos's film appearances and the early-1900s plan to cover the reserve with dense suburban housing.

You can walk through the cabin when volunteer guides are present to show you the exhibits and explain what you are seeing. Timing your visit during regular reserve hours helps ensure a guide is available to share the stories.

The cabin was built in the 1850s to house Japanese and Chinese fishermen, and shore whaling here ran from 1862 to 1884 under the Carmel Whaling Company, then briefly from 1898 to 1900 under the Japanese Whaling Company. It entered the National Register in 2007 with one contributing building and one contributing site.