Jack London State Park is the site of what used to be the ranch of writer Jack London, whose novels "White Fang" and "The Call of the Wild", as well as other works, made him the best-selling writer of his time. London was a complex character. Born in poverty, he became an outspoken Socialist. He tried to set up a model farm on this site. One of his ventures was to import eucalyptus trees and plant them as a cash crop. That failed, but the hillsides still hold a large number of eucalyptus trees, which have grown wild. He died at the age of 40 from kidney failure due to alcohol abuse.

Last year's fire in Sonoma County burned to within half a mile of the park.