Good news from Jack London State Park

Fans of Jack London (including us) have been concerned that Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen, California was to be closed because of California State budget cut backs.

Happily, the park, London’s Beauty Ranch,  has been saved by an unusual agreement between the State and the Valley of the Moon History Association where the private non-profit will assemble donations and administer park entrance funds to keep the park staffed and open to the public.

Jack London conceived the idea for the Cruise of the Snark around his pool at the ranch with his   wife Charmian and her Uncle Roscoe. In fact, our Listen 2 Read audiobook recording of the Cruise Of The Snark begins with sound effects of the pool as London describes how the adventure took form in their minds.

The Cruise of the Snark, is a fascinating adventure that ended badly in the South Seas  and was terminated early.  Jack and Chamian London returned to the Beauty Ranch where London continued to write and died in 1916.

After his death, his widow Charmian London lived on the property until her death in 1955.  She donated the ranch to the State as a memorial to her late husband.

The Listen 2 Read staff toured the ranch in preparing our audiobook recording of the Cruise of the Snark recording ambient sounds of the ranch.

Jack and Charmian aboard the Snark

Here is a link to the park website: http://jacklondonpark.com/jack-london-be-a-partner.html#.UBsZRI5y4c4

The Listen 2 Read audiobook of The Cruise of the Snark, read with great humor and style by Andre Stojka is available at Audible.com, Amazon.com,

i-Tunes and the Listen2Read.com website.