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The Legend of Joaquin
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Jan. 12, 1876 – Nov. 22, 1916
John Griffith Chaney (Jack London) was born in San Francisco, raised in Oakland. At 14, he quit school to escape poverty and seek adventure. In SF Bay, he was an oyster pirate, worked for the gov't fish patrols, then went to Japan as a sailor and saw much of the US as a Hobo riding freight trains. He entered UC Berkeley but quit after a year to search for riches in the Klondike Gold Rush. Returning broke, he decided to earn a living as a writer. He began writing sonnets, ballads, anecdotes and adventure stories. His first book, "The Son of the Wolf: Tales of the Far North" (1900) gained a wide audience, writing some 50 books, many short stories and articles in the next 17 years. London was considered a living symbol of rugged individualism whose success was due to mental ability and vitality. He oversaw the construction of his sailing ship, the "Snark", Wolf House near Glen Ellen and his farm, Beauty Ranch. Intending to sail around the world, he made it to Australia, but returned due to ill health. His health declined rapidly in his last few years and he died after a brief coma. His ashes were laid to rest on a knoll overlooking the Valley of the Moon near Wolf House. His second wife, Charmain died in 1955 and was laid to rest next to Jack.
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