Western Wednesday, Sort Of...!

Although this story is not typical of the western stories we normally do, I figured it was pretty close!

It has plenty of the things we often find in western themes, like beautiful scenery, colorful hard drinking men, and folks that were very creative about they made a living!

Jul 25, 1897:

Jack London sails for the Klondike

Jack London leaves for the Klondike to join the gold rush, where he will write his first successful stories.

London was born in San Francisco in 1876. His father, an astrologer named Chaney, abandoned the family, and his mother, a spiritualist and music teacher, remarried. Jack assumed his stepfather's last name, London.

From an early age, London struggled to make a living, working in a cannery and as a sailor, oyster pirate, and fish patroller. During the national economic crisis of 1893, he joined a march of unemployed workers. He was jailed for vagrancy for a month, during which time he decided to go to college. The 17-year-old London completed a high school equivalency course and enrolled at the University of California at Berkeley, where he read voraciously for a year. However, he dropped out to join the 1897 gold rush.

While in the Klondike, London began submitting stories to magazines. In 1900, his first collection of stories, The Son of the Wolf, was published. Three years later, his story The Call of the Wild made him famous around the country. London continued to write stories of adventure amid the harsh natural elements. During his 17-year career, he wrote 50 fiction and nonfiction books. He settled in northern California about 1911, having already written most of his best work. London, a heavy drinker, died in 1916.

Ya know, thanks to sites like History.com, we can all learn some interesting things about folks from our past. Sometimes what we thought we knew turns out to be so much more! Don't you agree?

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. These daily storms are coming in very quickly and dumping a lot of rain!