JACK LONDON Author, writer, sailor, rancher, and gold prospector

CHILDHOOD  John Griffith Chaney (his name at birth) was born January 12, 1876 in San Francisco, California.  His mother was Flora Wellman, and his father was William Chaney, who deserted her before Jack was born. Flora remarried to John London eight months after Jack was born.  His mother was unable to care for him so she sent him away to a former slave named Virginia Prentiss to care for him.  At first, Jack only went to school through 8 th grade, but he later came back and finished high school. He later was admitted to U.C. Berkeley but did not finish college.

WRITING CAREER  Notable books include: Call of the Wild, White Fang, The Iron Heel, The People of the Abyss, To Build a Fire, The Star Rover, and The Sea-Wolf.  He was the most popular author of his time, and 51 of his books have been published along with many articles.  Jack imposed upon himself a daily goal of writing 1,000 words.

PIRACY AND SAILING  One of Jack London’s greatest escapades was him becoming an illegal oyster pirate.  He eventually became known as the “ Prince of the Oyster Pirates” and made more money in a week doing this than he did by writing.  He stopped his illegal activities when he realized that the penalty for piracy could be his life.  When he quit, he worked for the California Fish Patrol as a deputy.

THE RUSH FOR GOLD  Jack London decided to pack up and leave for Alaska so he could participate in the gold rush and he carried nearly 2,000 pounds of equipment by way of the Chilcoot Pass and the Dyea River.  He staked a claim on Henderson Creek and became well known for storytelling.  However, Jack developed an extreme case of scurvy and had to return home.

BEAUTY RANCH  Located in Glen Ellen, California, the 1,400 acre estate of Jack London was beautifully cared for.  He loved ranch life and often experimented with new, innovative ways to do things such as, spineless cacti, terracing, and green water mulching.  He loved his animals and even had a building called “The Pig Palace” that could feed 200 hogs.

THE WOLF HOUSE  A major part of Jack London’s estate is the ruins of the building called “The Wolf House”  Wolf House took two years to build, but due to an oversight, the building spontaneously combusted a few days before it was ready.

FUN FACTS  Jack London was married twice, firstly to Bess Maddern, and then to Charmian Kittredge.  He lived from and died on November 22, 1916 at the age of 40 from uremic poisoning.  At one point, he wrote for a newspaper company.  He has two daughters from his first marriage, named Joan and Becky.