Near Glen Ellen in Sonoma County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Eucalyptus - The Cash Crop that Failed

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, March 29, 2017

1. Eucalyptus - The Cash Crop that Failed Marker

Inscription. Eucalyptus were introduced in California before Jack London's time. Pioneer families needed wood, which was in short supply, for many items such as furniture and utility poles. Planting eucalyptus, a fast-growing import from Australia, was believed by many to be a solution.
Before you stand the original crop rows occupied by offspring of trees London had planted. He hoped harvesting eucalyptus would pay of other experiments. In 1910, 15,000 seedlings cost him only $150. Eventually, he planted 80,000, of three species: E. viminalis, E. tereticornis, and E. globulus. Unfortunately, London's experiment failed. The trees were only useful as firewood.

To justify asking publishers for money in advance, London sometimes exaggerated ranch expenses:
"You see, I am running an expensive ranch - said ranch being expensive because of the fact that I am heavily investing in it. I am planting eucalyptus trees, and at present moment have a hundred thousand trees in. Each year I plant from 20,000 to 40,000 trees. This makes rather a tidy wage-list when, for months at a time, there are fifty men on the pay-roll." -- Jack London.

Erected by California State Department of Parks and Recreation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Agriculture. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.

Location.

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38° 21.328′ N, 122° 32.851′ W. Marker is near Glen Ellen, California, in Sonoma County. Marker can be reached from London Ranch Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2400 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen CA 95442, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Jack London's Terraces Shaped the Land for Preservation (within shouting distance of this marker); The Old Winery (within shouting distance of this marker); Jack London experimented (within shouting distance of this marker); "We live in a beautiful part of the country." (within shouting distance of this marker); Jack and Charmian London Entertained Here (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Jack London Had A Dream (about 400 feet away); Horse Power and Manure (about 500 feet away); Jack London Ranch (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Glen Ellen.

More about this marker. This marker is located on Lake Trail at Beauty Ranch in Jack London State Historic Park. The Park is at the end of London Ranch Road.

Also see . . . How the Eucalyptus Came to California - Santa Barbara Independent. It seems harmless enough; how can releasing just a few plants or animals into a new area hurt anything? But again and again, we’ve seen just how devastating introducing
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, March 29, 2017

2. Eucalyptus - The Cash Crop that Failed Marker
a foreign organism can be, whether it was on purpose or inadvertent. This has led to declining populations of bats, honeybees, and amphibians, among others, and explosive population increases among garden snails in California. Even when it doesn’t look like the non-native organism is doing any harm, it’s still tilting a biological scale that had carefully balanced itself over millennia. (Submitted on April 8, 2017, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)

Credits. This page was last revised on April 8, 2017. It was originally submitted on April 8, 2017, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 462 times since then and 63 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 8, 2017, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.