JACK LONDON HISTORIC STATE PARK, Glen Ellen, CA

52 Places To Go: Week 23

The Cottage, Jack and Charmian London's home at their ranch in Glen Ellen, CA

Jack London (1876-1916), renowned author of Call of the Wild, White Fang, Sea Wolf and dozens of other novels, short stories, articles and poetry, is one of America’s most famous and prolific writers, as well as an adventurer, activist, and international celebrity. From 1905 to 1916, he and his wife, Charmian, lived on a property they called Beauty Ranch in Glen Ellen, California, about an hour and half north of San Francisco in the Sonoma Valley. This is where he wrote, operated a small farm demonstrating sustainable farming practices, and where Jack and Charmian built their dream house. Tragically, the house burned down shortly before they were to move in. After Jack's death in 1916, Charmian built another house, now restored as a museum at Jack London Historic State Park.

"Jack London Historical State Park. This is the “House of Happy Walls” built in 1919 by Charmian K. London in memory of her husband, Jack London, renowned author. Here are housed many of his works and the collection gathered in their travels throughout the world. Charmian’s house, the ruins of Jack’s “Wolf House,” and his grave were presented in 1960 to the state of California by his nephew, Irving Shepard."

In mid-May, when I was in Oakland, Art and I and our daughter spent a day at Jack London State Park, enjoying the fresh spring air and reacquainting ourselves with Jack London's literary legacy. The park had only recently opened after being closed due to Covid. It was a weekday, and when we arrived the parking lot was nearly empty. 

A shaded walkway leads to the Visitor Center

From the parking lot we did a short walk to the museum/visitor center, finding it filled with photos, video displays, books, mementos of Jack and Charmian’s extensive travels, and a peek into Charmian’s personal life--her dozens of shoes, piano, the decor of her kitchen and bathrooms. A friendly docent answered questions and managed the gift shop.

"As a child, Jack was a bright and voracious reader but his early years were spent in work. With what he called “dig,” Jack entered a short story contest sponsored by the local newspaper and won it. He enrolled in school and contributed several short stories to the school’s literary magazine. Later he withstood the pain of hundreds of rejection letters before winning worldwide fame."

Jack London's typewriter. "Jack’s daring explorations provided the fodder for his writing and the fuel for his spirit."

 

Jack London died in 1916 at the age of 40. His grave site, about a fifteen minute walk from the Visitor Center, is on a wooded hillside. A short distance away are the remains of Wolf House.

While I had long known about Jack London and his books, until this visit to his home I had been unaware of the role of his wife Charmian, who, I discovered, was just as bold and adventurous as he was. She edited Jack's work and was an author in her own right. She outlived Jack by nearly forty years, and died in 1955.

"Charmian K. London defied every expectation of the Victorian female. Obedient and chaste? Never. She was bold and free. Soul of a rebel. Kicking aside the convention that women must ride side saddle, Charmian chose to gallup astride. Every bit Jack’s equal in terms of adventure and intellect, she redefined a woman’s place."

Wolf House.

After viewing the exhibits at the museum we followed the path through the woods to the grave sites of Jack and Charmian, and from there to the ruins of their grand house. 

A swimming pool was to be the center of the house.

Built of stone, the remaining walls and chimneys of Wolf House look more like a medieval castle than a private home. Surrounded by towering redwoods, the house would have been an ideal retreat from city life. We climbed onto a platform that gave a view through the open doors and windows and a diagram of the layout, which included a swimming pool overlooked by a balcony.

Remains of farm buildings of Beauty Ranch.
Beyond the fence vineyards climb the Sonoma hills.

After our walk to the grave site and house, we returned to the parking lot and drove into Glen Ellen (a few minutes away) for a delicious lunch of sandwiches and pastries on the patio of Les Pascales, a French boulangerie. When we returned to the state park, we parked on the other side of the entrance for a tour of the Cottage  and of the remains of the farm buildings. During the years before Jack's death, he and Charmian lived in the cottage when they weren't traveling. Because of Covid, only one family group was allowed inside the Cottage buildings at a time for tours led by extremely knowledgeable volunteer docents. The rooms are preserved with furniture and decorations as they were when the Londons lived there.

The bed in the corner of the Cottage screen porch is where Jack London died.

View from the screen porch to the front garden and fish pond.