Jack London’s Cabin

In 1968, Russ Kingman, an area businessman devoted to Jack London, led an expedition into the Alaskan wilderness to authenticate a small cabin found in the woods on the north fork of Henderson Creek, believed to be where Jack London spent the winter of 1897-98 while prospecting during the Yukon gold rush. Kingman brought Sgt. Ralph Godfrey, a handwriting expert from the Oakland Police Department’s forgery detail, to verify London’s signature scratched on the ceiling. After the cabin was confirmed as genuine, it was disassembled, packed out of the wilderness, and its logs were split into two groups, with half going to Dawson City, Canada, and half purchased by the Port and brought to Oakland. Two cabins were then replicated from the original materials, giving both cities duplicate tributes to Jack London, the world renowned author and adventurer. The cabin was dedicated on July 1, 1970.

Oakland, California · United States