On the slopes of Sonoma Mountain above Glen Ellen, a stone shell stands in the woods. It is all that remains of Wolf House, the mansion Jack London never got to live in.
Beauty Ranch
London bought land that included the abandoned Kohler & Frohling winery in 1905 and called it Beauty Ranch, according to Wikipedia. He built Wolf House there: about 15,000 square feet, at a cost of more than $80,000. It burned on Aug. 22, 1913, before the Londons moved in. London died in his cottage on the ranch on Nov. 22, 1916.
The House of Happy Walls
His widow, Charmian, later built the House of Happy Walls, which is now the park's museum. After she died in 1955, the land went to the state in 1959. The site was named a California Historical Landmark in 1960 and a National Historic Landmark in 1962. The park now covers more than 800 acres. Since state budget cuts in 2012, it has been run by the nonprofit Jack London Park Partners.
This fall
The park's official site says it is marking the 150th anniversary of London's birth all year. A Día de Muertos display runs Oct. 4 through Nov. 6 at the House of Happy Walls Museum. The site also offers an augmented-reality digital tour.