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8/9/2019 Jack London State Historic Park Brochure
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Jack Lonon State Historic Park2400 Lonon Ranch RoaGlen Ellen, CA 92345
(707) 938-5216
1994 California State Parks (Rev. 2008) Printed on Recycled Paper
www.parks.ca.govv
Our MissionThemissiono the CaliorniaDepartment oParks and Recreation is to provide or thehealth, inspiration and education o thepeople o Caliornia by helping to preservethe states extraordinary biological diversity,protecting its most valued natural andcultural resources, and creating opportunitiesor high-quality outdoor recreation.
CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS
P. O. Box 942896Sacramento, CA 94296-0001
For inormation call: (800) 777-0369(916) 653-6995, outside the U.S.
711, TTY relay service
Caliornia State Parks supports equal access.Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities whoneed assistance should contact the park at(707) 938-5216. This publication is availablein alternate ormats by contacting:
Discover the many states of California.
Jack LondonState Historic Park
he grapes on a score
o rolling hills are red
with autumn ame. AcrossSonoma Mountain wisps o
sea og are stealing . . .
I have everything to make
me glad I am alive.
(I am flled with dreamsand mysteries. I am all sun
and air and sparkle. I am
vitalized, organic.)
Jack London
T
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J ack Lonon was frstattracte to the Sonoma
Valleby its magnifcent
natural landscape. He hadought his way up out o the
actories and waterront diveso West Oakland to become
one o the highest paid, mostpopular and prolifc writers o
his day. Although he had sailedthe world over, this gentle
landscape made him eel athome and anchored in the
land.
THE FIRST INHABITANTS
For thousands o years, these high hills, deep
canyons, felds and streams were home tothe Coast Miwok people. They lived in small
autonomous villages, with leadership romheads o the largest and most inuential
amilies. Their lives began to changedrastically around the early- to mid-1800s,
when the arrival o Europeans and othersettlers introduced serious diseases that
killed many natives. The remaining Miwok
were orced into servitude.Today Coast Miwok descendants still live
in the area. The Coast Miwok and some o
the Southern Pomo have joined togetheras the Federally-recognized tribe known as
the Federated Indians o Graton Rancheria.
JACK LONdON
The author was born on January 12, 1876. By
age 30, London was internationally amous
orCall of the Wild(1903), The Sea Wolf
(1904) and other literary and journalistic
accomplishments. Though he wrote
passionately about the great questions o
lie and death and the struggle
to survive with dignity andintegrity, he also sought peace
and quiet inspiration. Hisstories o high adventure were
based on his own experiencesat sea, in Alaska, or in the felds
and actories o Caliornia. Hiswritings appealed to millionsworldwide.
Jack London was also widelyknown or his personal exploits.
He was a colorul, controversialpersonality, oten in the news. Generally
un loving, he was quick to side with theunderdog against injustice o any kind.
An eloquent public speaker, he was muchsought ater as a lecturer on socialism and
other economic and political topics. Mostpeople considered London a living symbol
o rugged individualism, a man whoseabulous success was not due to special avor
o any kind, but to a combination o immensemental ability and vitality.
Strikingly handsome, ull o laughter,
restless and courageous, always eager oradventure, Jack London was one o the mostromantic fgures o his time.
He ascribed his worldwide literary successlargely to hard workto dig, as he put
it. Between 1900 and 1916, he completedmore than 50 fction and nonfction books,
hundreds o short stories and numerousarticles. Several o the books and many o the
short stories are classics and still popular;some have been translated into as many as
70 languages.
In addition to his many commitments,
London carried on voluminous
correspondence (he received some 10,000
letters per year), read proos o his work
as it went to press, and negotiated with
his agents and publishers. He spent time
overseeing construction o his custom-
built sailing ship, the Snark(1906-1907);
the construction o his dream house, Wol
House (1910-1913); and the operation o hisarm, Beauty Ranch, ater 1911.
The natural beauty o Sonoma Valley wasnot lost on Jack London. The magnifcent
vistas and rolling hills o Glen Ellen were anideal place or Jack and Charmian London
to relax and enjoy the natural lie. When Ifrst came here, tired o cities and people,
I settled down on a little arm . . . 130 acres
o the most beautiul, primitive land to beound in Caliornia. Thoughthe arm was badly run
down, he reveled in itsnatural beauty.
All I wanted, he saidlater, was a quiet place
in the country to write
and loa in and get out o
Nature that somethingwhich we all need, onlythe most o us dont
know it. Soon, however,he was busy buying arm
equipment and livestockor his mountain ranch.
He began work on a newbarn and started planning
a fne new house. This isto be no summer-residence
proposition, he wrote to hispublisher in June 1905, but a
home all the year round.
Jack London at work
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I am anchoringgood and solid, and
anchoring or keeps.
Living and owning
land near Glen
Ellen was a way
o escaping rom
Oaklandrom the
city way o lie he
called the man-
trap. But, restless
and eager or oreign
travel and adventure, he decided to build
a ship, the Snark, and go sailing around the
worldexploring, writing, adventuring
enjoying the big moments o living that hecraved and that would give him still more
material to write about.
The voyage, which was to last seven
years and take Jack and Charmian around
the world, lasted just 27 months and took
them only as ar as the South Pacifc and
Australia. Discouraged by health problems
and heartbroken about having to abandon
the trip and sell the Snark, London returnedto the ranch in Glen Ellen.
Between 1909 and 1911 he bought more
land, and in 1911 he moved rom Glen
Ellen to a small ranch house in the middle
o his holdings. On horseback he explored
every canyon, glen and hilltop. He threw
himsel into a arming style o the period,
termed scientifc agriculture, as one o the
ew justifable, basic and idealistic ways omaking a living. A signifcant portion o his
later writingBurning Daylight(1910), Valley
o the Moon (1913) and Little Lady o the
Big House(1916)was
about the simple
pleasures o country
lie, the satisaction o
making a living rom
the land and remaining
close to nature.Jack and Charmian
Londons dream house
began to take shape
early in 1911 when a
well-known San Francisco architect, Albert
Farr, created the drawings and sketches or
Wol House. Farr then supervised the early
stages o construction o a grand house that
was to remain standing or a thousand years.By August 1913, London had spent about
$80,000, and the project was nearly complete.
On August 22, fnal cleanup got underway,
and plans were laid or moving the Londons
specially designed, custom-built urniture
and other personal belongings into the
mansion. That night at 2:00 a.m., word came
that the house was burning. By the time the
Londons arrived on the scene, the housewas ablaze, the roo had collapsed, and even
a stack o lumber some distance away was
burning. Nothing could
be done.
London looked at
the fre philosophically,
but the loss was a
crushing fnancial
blow and the end o along-cherished dream.
Rumors abounded
about the cause o the
fre. In 1995 a group o orensic fre experts
visited the site, concluding that the fre had
resulted rom spontaneous combustion
in a pile o linseed oil-soaked rags let by
workers. London planned to rebuild Wol
House, but at the time o his death in 1916
the house remained as it stands today, thestark but eloquent vestige o a shattered
dream.
The loss o Wol House let London
depressed, but he orced himsel to go back
to work. He added a new writers study to
the ranch house he had occupied since 1911.
Occasionally London went to New York,
San Francisco or Los Angeles on business.
He spent time living and working aboard his30-oot yawl, the Roamer, which he sailed
around San Francisco Bay and the nearby
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In 1914 he
was a war correspondent in Mexico, covering
the role o U.S. troops and Navy ships in the
Villa-Carranza revolt.
In 1915 and again in 1916, Charmian
persuaded him to spend time in Hawaii,
where London seemed better able to relaxand more willing to take care o himsel.
But his greatest satisaction came rom his
ranch activities. His
ambitious plans to
expand the ranch
and increase its
productivity kept him
in debt and under
pressure to write asast as he could, even
though it might mean
sacrifcing quality in
Jack and Charmian London aboard the Snark
Jack Londons ofce
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smaller and more
ormal. Charmian
lived here when she
was not traveling
abroad or staying
with relatives. Ater
her death in 1955
at the age o 84, her
will directed that
the house be used
as a memorial to
Jack London and
as a museum housing their collection o
photographs and exhibits about Londons
lie and adventures.
Much o the houses urnishings weredesigned by the Londons and custom
built or Wol House. The library contains
equipment rom Londons study. The rolltop
desk, the Dictaphone and some other items
appear in old photographs showing London
at work.
WOLF HOUSE
The trail to Wol House is a little
more than a hal-mile long andslopes gently downhill. The one-
mile roundtrip takes an hour or
more. The trail wanders through
a beautiul mixed orest. Ferns,
manzanita and a wide range o
other shrubs and small owering
plants thrive here, along with
many kinds o birds and other
orms o wildlie. The remains o
Wol House still remind visitors
o Jack and Charmians original
dream. Stone walls, complete
with window openings, freplaces and other
details, appear little changed by the passage
o time. It is easy to see how grand the house
was intended to be.
Native materials were chosen and
careully matched to one anotherboulders
o maroon lava, unpeeled redwood logs
outside and redwood paneling inside. The
Spanish-style roo was dark red and matched
the stone walls. The outdoor pool was to be
stocked with mountain bass. Inside, there
was a library and a large, isolated workroom
or Jack. A freproo vault in the basement
was to house his collection o manuscripts
and other valuables. The two-story living
room had a massive freplace and an alcoveor Charmians grand piano. The dining room
would have seated 50 people, and there
were numerous guest rooms.
The house stood on an extra-thick
concrete slab intended to be earthquake
proo. Double-thick concrete walls were
intended to be
freproo. Modern utility
systems were installed,and every detail was o
the highest quality, or
money was no object.
The house would have
been magnifcent.
THE GRAVE SITE
Jack Londons ashes
were placed on the
little hill close besidethe plain wooden
headboards marking
the graves o
avor o quantity.
When his doctors
urged him to change
his work habits and
his diet, stop all use
o alcohol and get
more exercise, he
reused. I anything,
the pressure
o his fnancial
commitments to
helping riends and
relatives and his increasingly severe health
problems only made him dream larger
dreams and work harder and aster.
On November 22, 1916, 40-year-old JackLondon died o gastrointestinal uremic
poisoning. He had been suering rom
a variety o ailments, including a kidney
condition, but up to the last day o his lie,
he was ull o bold plans and boundless
enthusiasm or the uture. Words o grie
poured into the telegraph ofce in Glen
Ellen rom all over the world.
No writer, unless it were Mark Twain,ever had a more romantic lie than Jack
London. The untimely death o this
most popular o American fctionists has
prooundly shocked a world that expected
him to live and work or many years longer.
(Ernest J. Hopkins in the San Francisco
Bulletin, December 2, 1916)
THE HOUSE OF HAPPy WALLS
Built by Charmian London between 1919
and 1926, this house is somewhat similar
to Wol Housethe Spanish-style roo tiles
and walls o feldstone, or examplebut is
The House o Happy Walls
Wol House ruins
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two pioneer children. The fnal ceremony
was simple, attended only by a ew
members o Londons immediate amily,
his old riend George Sterling and workmen
rom the ranch. A small copper urn bearing
his ashes was sealed within a specially
made receptacle, and in Sterlings ownwords:
Amid the proound silence o the on-
lookers, a huge bouldera great block o
red lava long-pitted by time and enriched
by the moss o uncounted yearswas urged
by roller and crowbar above the sepulcher.
Then the party dispersed as quietly as
it had gathered, the stillness making it a
uneral impressive beyond all memory o
those in attendance. No word, aside rom a
brie whisper, had been said. The thirteen
strong men o the ranch aced the bearers
o the remains in silence, and as silently
departed.
PARK FEATURES
Eucalptus Trees
Some o the 81,000 eucalyptus trees near
Beauty Ranch are visible rom the picnic
area.
Sherr Barn
Constructed by Chinese laborers in 1884 or
the Kohler and Frohling winery, the Sherry
Barn became a stable or Londons highly-
prized purebred shire horses.
Stallion Barn
This barn housed six o Londons shirehorses.
Manure Pit
In 1914 Jack London hired Italian
stonemasons to build this pit to store
ertilizer or later distribution in the felds.
He also built an elaborate system to gather
and store liquid ertilizer rom his cow
barn. Note the contrast in construction
techniques between the protruding stoneso the Italian-built structures and the
ush stones o the Chinese-built winery
buildings.
Cottage
Jack London purchased
this wood-ramed cottage
and the old Kohler &
Frohling winery buildingsin 1911. The cottage was
later enlarged to include
about 3,000 square eet
o living space. Jacks
study on the west side
was added in 1914. Here
he wrote many o his later
stories and novels. The
stone-walled east wing,originally part o the old
winery, was used as a
dining room. The glassed
porch to the right o the ront door is where
Jack died on November 22, 1916.
Winer Ruins
The Kohler & Frohling Winery, heavily
damaged by the 1906 earthquake, was
used as a carriage house, living quarters
or ranch hands and rooms or guests. Afre destroyed the wooden upper stories
in 1965.
Terrace Hillsie View
Londons steeper felds were graded into
terraces to retain moisture and prevent
erosion. Some o those original terraces are
still being used today.
distiller
This building was used by the ranch hands
to store and repair arm equipment. The
ruins o a blacksmith shop are on the west
side.
Jack Londons grave
The cottage where London wrote
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Pig Palace
This unique piggery
was designed
by London
and built
in 1915.
Laid out
in a circle, its
central eedhouse is circled by 17 pens.
Each amily o pigs had a courtyard with
eed and water troughs, a rooed sleeping
area and a enced outdoor run.
Silos
These cement-block silos stand over 40
eet high. They once
held odder maderom cut-up orage
plants.
Lonon Lake
About three-quarters
o a mile up the trail
beyond the silos,
London built a curving
stone dam with a
shallow, fve-acre lake.
Featuring a redwood
bathhouse, the lake
was oten enjoyed by
the Londons and their
guests.
Beyond the lake, the trail passes
through madrone, manzanita, redwood,
Douglas fr, grassy meadows and oak
woodland. The Valley o the Moon vista is
visible just below the 2,463-oot summit o
Sonoma Mountain. The strenuous 6.6-mile
round trip takes about three hours. Please
bring your own drinking water.
ACCESSIBLE FEATURES
Restroom: A portable restroom in the
upperpicnic area is generally accessible.
A portable restroom on the Wol House
service road is the only wheelchair-
accessible restroom available to the public.
Parking: The lower
parking area has threespaces designated
accessible. Assistance
may be required with
slopes. The paved 400-
oot route rom the lot
to the Museum may be
accessible or assisted
wheelchair users or
strong riders.
Accessibility is
continually improving.
For current accessibility
details, call the park at
(707) 938-5216 or visit
http://access.parks.
ca.gov.
PLEASE REMEMBER
Picnictablesandbarbecuepitsare
available; ground fres and portable
stoves are prohibited.
ThemuseumintheHouseofHappy
Walls is open rom 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas
and New Years Days.
Bealertforrattlesnakesandpoison
oak.
Dogsmustbekeptonaleash;they
are not allowed in the museum or on
hiking trails.
Donttrespassonprivateproperty
surrounding the park; help us be goodneighbors.
London lake
The Pig Palace
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This park is supported in part through anonproft organization. For more inormation,
contact Valley o the Moon Natural History
Association, 2400 London Ranch Road,
Glen Ellen, CA 95442www.jacklononpark.com
NOTE: Forest roads (unpaved, red-dashed roads)are difcult to bike. Please ride with caution.