JACK LONDONAuthor, writer, sailor, rancher, and gold

prospector

CHILDHOODJohn 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 8th 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.

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FUN FACTS

Jack London was married twice, firstly to Bess

Maddern , and then to Charmian Kittredge.

He lived from1876-1916 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.