This can be a very deceiving venue name.  Some may call it "The Hacienda"; some may call it "Jolon", and some will call it "Fort Hunter Liggett Military Reservation, Sir!"  All are correct.  The town (if you can call it that) is Jolon; the turf is Fort Hunter Liggett; the destination is The Hacienda and is engulfed by the military base.  A bit of history will put this in perspective.

The land, originally held by Salinan Indians, was taken by Spanish missionaries in 1771, and The Mission San Antonio De Padua was established.  The mission lands were divided into five large land grants in 1822 by Mexico.  The gold rush of the 1880's encouraged small farms  and the growth of Jolon, which had been established in about 1860.  By 1900, Jolon comprised two hotels, three saloons, various stores, a dance hall and two Chinese communities for immigrants who had come to pan for gold. 

These lands were later consolidated into large cattle ranches, and in 1920, William Randolph Hearst Jr. purchased as much of this land as he could get his hands on.  Jolon fell into decline, and the majority of the town burned down in 1929.

In anticipation of training soldiers for combat in the WWII European theatre, The War Department purchased over 200,000 acres of local ranch land between the Salinas River and the Pacific Ocean in 1941.  The acquisition was designated Hunter Liggett Military Reservation.  General Liggett had commanded the First Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I and also served as Chief of Staff for General Pershing.  In the infinite wisdom of the United States Army, F.H.L. is now a sub-installation of Fort McCoy in Wisconsin.

So Jolon is just about gone; The Mission remains, but is trapped within the military reservation.  And what remains of Hearst's era is The Hacienda -- similarly trapped.

The Hacienda is formally known on the National Register as the Milpitas Ranch House.  The Hearst Sunical Land and Packing Corporation included the James Brown Cattle Company which owned most of the Rancho Milpitas.  Hearst commissioned Julia Morgan to design and construct the Milpitas Ranch Headquarters.  Construction began in 1929 and the structural elements are entirely comprised of cast-in-place concrete.  A south wing orginally planned as Hearst's private living quarters was never built. 

Hearst's cowboys, however did not stay here -- they camped in the fields.  Hearst would fly in his guests on a Stecent Tri-motor, landing nearby.  Guests of The Hacienda included Marion Davies, Dick Powell, Will Rogers, Jean Harlowe, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Teddy Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover,and Errol Flynn.  Numerous legends surround the Hacienda and environs, including ghosts at the mission, a headless horeswoman, and buried treasure.

PROPERTY	THE HACIENDA RESTAURANT AND GUEST LODGE
ADDRESS	POST OFFICE BOX 712 -- JOLON, CA  93928-0712
TELEPHONE	831.386.2262  FACSIMILE  831.386.2900  GUEST LODGE RESERVATIONS  831.386.2655  LOUNGE  831.386.2446  RESTAURANT
WEB	www.usawines.com/hacienda/ rdminca@jps.net

.....Update from Sandra Medvigy:  "Here is the new information:

Owners:  Sandra Medvigy and Debbie Ojinaga    P.O Box 148  Jolon, California  93928     831.386.2446 restaurant  831.386.2900 reservations

http://hacienda.newhalltelecom.net

.....Please contact me if you have any questions."

.....and a further update! (as of 10/28/06)  

"Here is the correct info:

P.O. Box 509, Jolon, CA  93926

831-386-2900 for information and reservations

no website or e-mail address.  Owners -- It is being run by the U.S. Army

Thanks a million!"

-----  Kelly L. Schwartz

Manager, Hacienda

U.S. Army Civilian

".....I couldn't find a working phone number for Hacienda, and when I called Monterey County, they suggested I try CaliforniaMudholes.com....."

-----Ralph W.

WHEN TO GO AND HOW TO GET THERE:

• F.H.L. is located 25 miles southwest of King City (which is on highway 101), on County Road G-18 if coming from the north, G-14 if coming from the south; while the roadway is excellent, arrival after dusk might be confusing for the first-time visitor
• A courageous alternative would be the ninety-minute, 23-mile drive from Pacific Coast Highway (five miles south of Lucia, turn east on Nacimiento-Fergusson Road) 
• Being on a military installation, one must obtain a Visitor's Pass at the gate from the civilian guard; driver's license and auto registration is required.  The pass must be renewed each day.
• Base inquiries are fielded at 831.386.2513

MAPQUEST: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?city=jolon&state=CA&zip=93928&country=us&level=3

THE HACIENDA RESTAURANT & GUEST LODGE

CHOICE OF ROOMS:  TOWER, GARDEN, COWBOY, MINI-SUITE, SUITE BAR (MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY 5 - MIDNIGHT) DINING ROOM (LUNCH AND DINNER ONLY 11 - 8; DINNER ONLY ON SATURDAY, BRUNCH ONLY ON SUNDAY 11 - 2) UNHEATED SWIMMING POOL POST THEATRE AND BOWLING ALLEY NEARBY

The Hacienda offers only a total of fourteen rooms.  Many of the rooms have no bathrooms but public ones are available down the hall.  Televisions have no reception, but the base channel shows training videos regarding how to avoid soil contamination during armored vehicle refueling.

.....An update from the Environmental Chief for Fort Hunter Liggett, dated July 28, 2005:  "Read with great interest your site regarding the Hacienda......The painted cave is closed and no tours are permitted because of preservation and safety concerns.  FHL is no longer a sub-installation of Fort McCoy, WI but is now part of the US Army Combat Support Training Center....."

There are some odd or interesting quotations regarding F.H.L.:

"F.H.L. was designed for live fire.....training for.....heavy units.....equally suited for mechanized combat operations.....and 33 drop zones, capable of battalion sized mass attacks.....and is used by about 30,000 troops each year.  The base last year trained over 15,000 soldiers, Navy Seabees, Marines, Air Force personnel, and Special Operations Command troopers.....In 2003, 20,000 of those soldiers were deployed overseas to Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.....the Hacienda was declared excess property to be jettisoned, but the land remains under Army control......F.H.L. is not a feasible addition to the National park system.....As a live-fire training range, .....secitions are so full of explosives and ordnance that they are simply too dangerous to clean up....."

Weather averages: