In 1913 the dam was constructed, and by 1916 visitors hiking half a mile from London's cottage came upon a four acre lake, with boardwalk, boat house and barbeque. Fishing, horseback riding, hiking and swimming were part of London's ranch lifestyle, and guests at his Beauty Ranch enjoyed this mini-bohemian grove long after London himself had passed away.
Today the dam is cracked and leaking, the lake is clogged with sediment and marshy plants and erosion downstream affect the entire Sonoma Creek watershed. An estimated one million dollars may be needed to repair the dam, dredge the lake, and repair the riparian areas.
We are raising funds, both through private donation and through state and federal grants. We have raised $150,000 to date, funding the engineering study, site survey, and CEQA assessment which are now completed. The Historic Structures Report, also required, was funded by the Department of Parks and Recreation. Private funding is critical to our success, as we must provide matching funds for some of the grants we are currently hoping to secure.
Once the Historic Structures Report is completed the work will begin, probably being done in phases over the next several years. Working together, private donors and state and federal agencies will save Jack’s Lake!
View photos of Jack London State Park from Open Road TV with Doug McConnell
CLICK HERE
Read an open letter from the Miller Pacific engineering firm about potential dam collapse:
CLICK HERE to view the PDF
Read US Congressman Mike Thompson's letter of support for lake project:
CLICK HERE to view the PDF
Read the article How We're Restoring Jack London Lake:
CLICK HERE to view the PDF
JACK LONDON LAKE ALLIANCE is a special project of VALLEY OF THE MOON NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION. VMNHA is the cooperating association for Annadel, Sugarloaf Ridge and Jack London Historic state parks. We are an all-volunteer group of 400+ members and docents dedicated to assisting the Department of Parks and Recreation with interpretation, preservation and funding of special projects within the three state parks.
Mission Statement
JLLA formed with one objective: to fully restore Jack's lake, dam, dock, and surrounding landscape to the refreshing oasis it once was.
Alliance Supporters
Darius Anderson
Artisan Bakers
Barking Dog Coffee
Mike and Mary Benziger
Tom and Rebecca Green Birdsall
Supervisor Valerie Brown
California State Parks Foundation
Bruce Cohn
Community Foundation of Sonoma County
Exchange Bank
Donald and Maureen Green Foundation
Glen Ellen Market
Maud Hallin
Anne Halsted
Assemblyman Jared Huffman
Jack London Foundation
Chuck Levine
Oak Hill Farm
Marde Ross
Milo and Neil Shepard
Sonoma Ecology Center
Elisa Stancil
Dave and Vicki Stollmeyer
Ed Stolman
Isabel Wade
JLLA Development Committee
Elisa Stancil
Isabel Wade
Anne Halsted
Marde Ross
Maud Hallin
Dave Stollmeyer
Technical Advisors
Marla Hastings Senior Environmental Scientist,
Department of Parks and Recreation
Marianne Hurley State Historian II
California State Parks
Caitlin Cornwall, Sonoma Ecology Center
Rebecca Lawson, Sonoma Ecology Center
Doug Hanford
Miller Pacific Engineering