Point Dume is a

promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the so ...

on the coast of Malibu, California that juts out into the Pacific Ocean. The point, a long bluff, forms the northern end of the Santa Monica Bay. Point Dume Natural Area affords a vista of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and Santa Catalina Island. Zuma Beach lies to its immediate northwest.

History

Point Dume was named by

George Vancouver Captain George Vancouver (22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a British Royal Navy officer best known for his 1791–1795 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of what a ...

in 1793 in honor of Padre Francisco Dumetz of Mission San Buenaventura. The name was misspelled on Vancouver's map as "Dume" and was never corrected. On a plat map of the Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit finally confirmed to new owner

Matthew Keller Matthew Keller or Mathew Keller (1810–81) was an early agriculturalist, vintner and distiller in Los Angeles, California, shortly after it became part of the United States following the Mexican War. He was also on the county Board of Superviso ...

in August 1870, the point is marked on the map as "Point Zuma or Duma". In the early 1980s, real estate development interests began pronouncing the name "du-MAY" and spelling it "Dumé"; this did not catch on. In the mid-1930s, the 900-ton steam-schooner ''California'', of the California Whaling Company, would anchor in Paradise Cove about a mile offshore, near Point Dume, and process whales caught by her two "killer boats", the ''Hawk'' and ''Port Saunders''. She spent about four months there each winter (December–April), mostly flensing

gray whale The gray whale (''Eschrichtius robustus''), also known as the grey whale,Britannica Micro.: v. IV, p. 693. gray back whale, Pacific gray whale, Korean gray whale, or California gray whale, is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and bree ...

s on their annual migration from Alaska to Baja California and back. Emerson Gaze, a reporter who spent a day with the fleet, said they had caught over fifty whales up to late January 1936, nearly all gray (with the exception of a few humpback and

sperm whale The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus ''Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the sperm whale famil ...

s). Nial O’Malley Keyes, in his book ''Blubber Ship'', reported large numbers of whales were caught within a mile of Malibu (in or before 1934), a reference to the Point Dume operation. Point_Dume_Monument_at_sunset

Up until the 1940s, Point Dume was a windblown, treeless bluff covered by native

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...

. Post-World War II the bluff became slowly settled by independent-minded people, who planted trees and other non-native flora among their single-family homesteads. In 1968, Point Dume Elementary School opened, but closed in 1980. It reopened in 1996 and remains open today, now known as the Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School. By 2007, many of the simple homesteads were torn down to make way for mansions and mega-mansions behind walls, many with expansive ocean views, while other large homes were surrounded by mature trees.

State preserve

The northwesternmost tip of Point Dume has been designated Point Dume Nature Preserve. Located along Cliffside Drive, very limited parking is available. Its beach is protected by the Lifeguard unit of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The cove, located just south of the point, was a popular clothing-optional meeting spot in the 1960s and '70s.

Rock climbing

Point Dume is home to a handful of very moderate single pitch

rock climbing Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...

routes that are usually climbed on top rope from established fixed anchors. It is a common place to take novice climbers due to the ease of access, ease of routes, as well as the beautiful and unique setting for rock climbing.

Filming location

With its close proximity to the film and television industry location, Point Dume's Westward Beach continues to be a popular filming location for films, television, advertisements, and videos, appearing frequently whenever a beach scene is needed. Jackie Treehorn’s beach party in '' The Big Lebowski'' was filmed near the cliff face. Important scenes in the '' Planet of the Apes'' series were filmed at Point Dume's Westward Beach, including the surprise ending of the first film. In the ''Iron Man'' films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the protagonist Tony Stark's huge seaside mansion was set on Point Dume at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and was given the fictional address of 10880 Malibu Point, 90265. The interior shots were filmed on real sets, but the mansion itself is fictional, instead being created as a 3D model and digitally placed on the cliffs in post-production; Point Dume is a protected area, so construction on its cliffs is strictly prohibited. The ashes of American horror movie actor Vincent Price were scattered here in 1993. The music video " Sandcastles in the Sand" for the TV show ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his ...

'' was filmed on Point Dume State Beach. The season 3 finale of '' Angel'' was set on cliffs above Point Dume State Beach, but was filmed to the west at Leo Carrillo State Park. The TV series '' Son of the Beach'' was frequently filmed on Point Dume State Beach. An episode of the television series '' Modern Family'' was filmed on Point Dume State Beach. The pilot episode of ''

I Dream of Jeannie ''I Dream of Jeannie'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series, created by Sidney Sheldon that starred Barbara Eden as a sultry, 2,000-year-old genie and Larry Hagman, as an astronaut with whom she falls in love and eventually marrie ...

'' was filmed at Point Dume, which served as the deserted South Pacific island where astronaut Tony Nelson's (

Larry Hagman Larry Martin Hagman (September 21, 1931 – November 23, 2012) was an American film and television actor, director, and producer, best known for playing ruthless oil baron J. R. Ewing in the 1978–1991 primetime television soap opera, ''Dal ...

) capsule washed ashore and he released Jeannie ( Barbara Eden) from 2,000 years of imprisonment. The wedding in the season 2 finale of '' Chuck'' was filmed on Point Dume State Beach. The season 1 episode "Dominoes" of the television series '' Scorpion'' was mostly set at Point Dume. In 1984 and 1988, Point Dume stood in for Stefano DiMera's underground cliff base on the daytime drama ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...

.'' In season 2 of ''The Last Man on Earth'', the home in Malibu where the characters live is (fictitiously) set on Point Dume. Point Dume was featured in season 5 episode 8 of baywatch when two contestants have to be rescued by Matt Brody

California Historical Landmark

California Historical Marker on the site reads:californiahistoricallandmarks.com 965, Point Dume
/ref> *NO. 965 POINT DUME - On November 24, 1793, English explorer George Vancouver, commander of an expedition to determine the extent of settlement of the northwest coast of America, named this rocky promontory, Point Dume, after his Franciscan friend, Father Francisco Dumetz, at Mission San Buenaventura. Point Dume is the western terminus of Santa Monica Bay and has been an important landmark for navigators since Vancouver's voyage in 1793.

References

External links

Point Dume State Beach
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dume, Point Malibu, California Beaches of Southern California California State Reserves Peninsulas of California Beaches of Los Angeles County, California Climbing areas of California Parks in Los Angeles County, California Regional parks in California Santa Monica Mountains California State Beaches Tourist attractions in Malibu, California