Jack London Ranch as a Magnet for Permanent Residents By Mickey Cooke September 2008 SMP Newsletter

There are some places on Sonoma Mountain that have played an important role in preserving the physical character of the area and in attracting people from outside the area to come to the Sonoma Valley permanently. One of these places is the former Jack London Ranch, which became the Jack London State Historic Park when it was purchased by the state. Over the years additional land has been added to the park so that it now comprises 1830 acres.

From Jack London’s death in 1916 until the first 39 acres of the ranch was deeded to the State in 1959 for an historic park, the Irving Shepard family managed the ranch, managed Jack London’s estate and aided Charmian London, Jack London’s wife, in her later years. During those years, the ranch was run as a Jersey dairy, portions were logged, cattle were grazed, and most tellingly for the area, the Shepard family opened and ran a guest ranch that was very popular and which showcased the mountain, the Sonoma Valley and the ranching culture of the 40’s. Guests came from all points of the compass and many of them became residents of the Valley as a result of their vacations here.

The guest ranch was a favorite destination, with a large stable of riding horses, 24 miles of trails, swimming and picnics at the Lake, excellent family style food in the old cottage, and wonderful activities for all members of the family, including informal horse shows and canoe races.

The ranch stretched from just west of Glen Ellen to the top of Sonoma Mountain and consisted of over 1100 acres. Today the park comprises l830 acres. Trails led through neighboring ranches, whose owners were friends of the Shepards. There were guest cabins and several apartments above the carriage house ruins adjacent to the cottage. When guests came to the table, 25 to 30 people were gathered for talk and good food.

Hosts Irving and Mildred Shepard, with the help of their four children, presided over the activities.

A high light of 1945 was the picnic held at the old winery for the world’s diplomats who came to San Francisco to forge the Charter of the United Nations. That was a party!! What a wonderful celebration they had. It was the end of the conference and they were feeling a great sense of elation and accomplishment.

Between the late ’30’s and the close of World War II, many people came to the ranch. Admiral and Mrs. Charles Cooke visited early on, and the Cooke family is still active in Valley affairs today. The Cookes bought 500 acres on Lovall Valley Road. Roswell and Camile Cochran and their daughters, Marcia and Joan, acquired Glen Oaks following a visit to the ranch. This property was left by Joan to the Sonoma Land Trust. Several hundred acres will remain forever wild. The old home and adjacent vineyard stand today.

Pat and Ted Eliot are here on the mountain as a result of Pat’s summer job at the guest ranch in the 1940’s. They have placed a conservation easement on their parcel to preserve the unspoiled beauty of the meadow high up on the south-facing slope of Sonoma Mountain. Following summer vacations at the London Ranch, Ernie and Miriam Smith bought a large portion of the first of the five ranches that London acquired. The family is enjoying this land now, four generations later.

Milo Shepard and his sisters Joy and Jill now control the Irving Shepard Trust, which was created when the State of California bought the remainder of the ranch. The Shepard family farms 200 acres of the property and several of the family members live on the ranch.

The happy ending to this story is that the Jack London Vineyards have been very successful and far more productive than Jack London’s Beauty Ranch ever was! And agriculture mixes beautifully with recreational use on the rest of the land, now visited by many thousands of people each year.