An Abbreviated Chronology
of Jack London's Life
Jack London was a unique person who had many interests and abilities. While he is known around the world as an important author, his life shows he was much more than just an author of animal stories for children. His interests in life led him to explore not only various parts of the world, but also the conditions and hearts of people everywhere. His curiosity and zeal for life was unquenchable.
1876 Born in San Francisco, California on January 12 as John Griffith Chaney, Jack's mother, Flora Wellman, married John London on September 7, 1876, and Jack acquired a new last name.
1885 Jack discovered the world of books at the Oakland Public Library where he became an avid reader.
1889 Graduated from Oakland Cole Grammer School and did odd jobs so he could buy a skiff and sail around San Francisco Bay.
1890-1 Worked a full-time job at a salmon cannery for ten cents an hour. Quit his cannery job, used borrowed money to buy a sloop called Razzle Dazzle and became an oyster pirate in the Bay.
1893 Sailed as a seaman on whaling schooner Sophie Sutherland for seven months to Siberia.
1893-4 Worked as a laborer in San Francisco but, tiring of this, became a hobo and traveled much of the United States and Canada.
1895-7 Completed course at Oakland High School in eighteen months and attended University of California at Berkeley.
1897 Traveled to Klondike for gold rush but did not strike it rich.
1898-9 Unable to find steady employment back in Oakland, Jack began writing nineteen hours a day. Rejected for months, his first sale was to Overland Monthly for five dollars.
1900 On April 7, he married Elizabeth Maddern. About the same time, he met Charmian Kittredge.
1901 Daughter Joan born on January 15
1902 Daughter Bess (Becky) born on October 20, while Jack was vacationing in Europe after spending three months on assignment in London.
1903 Publication of two significant books: Call of the Wild, which established his world-widw reputation, and People of the Abyss, an in-depth sociological study of the slums of London. Visited Glen Ellen and separated from his wife.
The year 1903 was a pivotal one for Jack. His literary success contrasted with the failure of his marriage. His frustration and sadness about the slum-dwellers in London contrasted with his discovery of both the Valley of the Moon and his love for Charmian. The impact on Jack was apparently enough to cause him to leave the familiar city of Oakland and establish himself near Glen Ellen. His years on the ranch continued to reveal his concern for others. His earlier dreams for mankind became a part of the dreams he had for the ranch. Today, his dreams and philosophy live on through his books and his Beauty Ranch. - end