Jack London Had A Dream

Jack London Had A Dream. . To establish a model farm on the land that he loved and desired to preserve for future generations. , Eliza London Shepard, Jack's step-sister and Ranch Superintendent, worked with Charmian for many years after Jack's death maintaining the Beauty Ranch. Remnants of the ranch are preserved in Jack London State Historic Park. , Jack's dream and the remains of his model farm lie before you to explore. , When he arrived here, Jack London (1876-1916) was famous for writing and adventuring, not farming. It was here he developed a love for the land that he was to name "Beauty Ranch." He bought his first parcel in 1905 and expanded his ranch to over 1400 acres by 1913. , Unlike many of his neighbors, London studied the farming practices of the past and cultivated a passionate interest in creating an agricultural masterpiece. , Charmian, London's wife, stated, "He was really far more interested in introducing better farming into Sonoma County and the country at large than he was in leaving behind masterpieces of literature. Jack had ideas on the profession of farming that will do the world more good than all the stories he could ever wright." , "When I bought one hundred and twenty-nine acres near Glen Ellen nine years ago I knew nothing about farming. I bought the place to live and write in. The region was a back-water district. Most of the ranchers were poor and hopeless; no one could make any money ranching there, they told me." , I am rebuilding worn-out hillside lands that were worked out and destroyed by our wasteful pioneer farmers. I am not using commercial fertilizer. I believe the soil is our one indestructible asset, and by green manures, nitrogen gathering crops, animal manures, rotation of crops, proper tillage and drainage, I'm getting results which the Chinese have demonstrated for forty centuries." -- Jack London.