Once slated for closure, Jack London Park going strong

Jonathan Farrell | Under The Sun

The weather was summer-like during a recent visit with Tjiska Van Wyk, executive director of Jack London Park Partners (JLPP), which manages and operates Jack London State Historic Park. The House of Happy Walls museum on the sprawling former ranch was a welcoming respite from the heat that filled the entire Valley that day.

Van Wyk noted that the House of Happy Walls contains several artifacts representing Jack London’s contribution to literature and adventurous lifestyle. It is one of several historic buildings on the property including the popular Wolf House Ruins and completely restored cottage. She mentioned that the House of Happy Walls was built by London’s second wife Charmian (“it was a real love match”) after his death at the age of 40. It was intended as a future memorial to her husband.

The JLPP oversees the operation and management of the 1,400 acres through a public-private partnership, the first of its kind, with the California State Parks system.

Van Wyk and JLPP took charge in May of 2012 and since that time she said, “it has been going really well.”   She acknowledged that it can sometimes be challenging working with a bureaucracy, but the partnership with some of the individuals who make up park personnel is terrific “They have experience in areas we do not – like natural resource protection, cultural history or museum artifact management so this expertise has been a great resource from which to get guidance.”

She is grateful, too, to California State Parks for working with the Governor’s office to help coordinate these new partnerships that allow for more local management of parks. “Our successes here mirror what is happening at other parks where local community members have greater involvement.“ said Van Wyk.

The outlook was bleak several years ago, when, because of budget woes, Jack London was one of 70 State Parks on the governor’s closure list.

“It would have been tragic if Jack London State Historic Park had closed,” said Van Wyk. “Parks were established early on because of a democratic ideal, that all people, despite their economic status, should have the right to access and experience the nation’s scenic wonders. Parks are here to connect people to nature and enhance the quality of their life.”

“Every citizen should be able to enjoy a state park,” Van Wyk said. “And it not only provides a vacation opportunity not too far away from home, but it allows for so much very vital outdoor recreational time.”

The key to success for a public-private partnership is that it allows the community to embrace, and wrap their arms around the park,” she said. Evidence of that is in the number of volunteers Jack London State Historic Park has. “We now have 400 volunteers who help with so many aspects of the park, from docent tours to greeting people, to clean up and trail restoration work.” In the past three years. over 77,000 hours of volunteer time has been given by the community to help sustain the park.

Another very key aspect to the public-private partnership success, at least for Jack London Park, is the focus on hospitality and community. Van Wyk said that 89% of park visitors surveyed rank their overall experience as excellent – the highest score possible. “The majority of the people cite how welcomed they felt and the engaging tours, activities and experiences we provided for them.”

Helping to foster more hospitality and community is what Van Wyk hopes to do to help the park to continue to thrive.

Utilizing the parks open spaces respectfully for educational, cultural and community event opportunities helps keep the park open, and cherished. The event series Broadway Under The Stars is a novel way to attract and engage park visitors. For three summers, series has drawn crowds of 11,000 or more.

Van Wyk also noted how important it is to have schools and young people visiting the park regularly. Technology is a marvel but so many today suffer from ‘nature deficit syndrome’ — more screen time than green time. “I’ve seen what being in a nature-rich area can do to help improve the self-esteem and well-being of a young person, especially those kids who are isolated or disconnected from society.”

While Van Wyk and her team are pleased with the outcome thus far, she and her staff know that much still needs to be done. In June of this year, the park launched a community initiative to raise $80,000 to help prevent fires. “We had two scary incidents last summer,” said Van Wyk. And, with the current drought, fire danger is always present.

Van Wyk believes that in addition to preservation, what Jack London State Historic Park needs are more activities and events that make the park and its historical legacy relevant. “I would like to help make Jack and Charmian’s life as they lived it here on Beauty Ranch more present and alive to visitors. That way people can understand why she and Jack loved it so.”

It’s easy for visitors who were on the trail to the Wolf House to see clearly why London chose Sonoma Valley.

The late afternoon sun gleamed across the hills and vineyards, and the view of Mount Sonoma was breathtaking. The cottage he and Charmian lived in while Wolf House was being built provides an insight into how they lived and the routine they shared. “London wrote over 1,000 words a day, and once that was done then it was farm work,” said Van Wyk.

“Farming was his real work, that is what he felt called to,” she said. “I want to be able to bring that to the attention of our visitors.”

Along with working to make the park and its attractions more relevant, Van Wyk also understands the importance of bringing the park up to full ADA standards. And, she said, it would be important to have a trail that is accessible just for people with mobility concerns. “Not just for people who use wheelchairs and walkers but also for our seniors. They too should be able to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible.”

Jack London State Historic Park does have a few golf-cart type vehicles to assist people along the trails. But to have a full fleet of them to accommodate many more would be wonderful.

“I have been a volunteer here for 13 years,” said Larry Houghton, as he opened the cottage door for visitors. “This place is a treasure.” Fellow volunteer Mary Oswald agreed. “I can’t emphasize enough how beautiful it is here, I love it.”