Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon
Encyclopedia
Heinold's First and Last Chance is a waterfront saloon
opened by John (Johnny) M. Heinold in 1883 on Jack London Square
in Oakland, California
, United States
. The name "First and Last Chance"
refers to the time in which for many sailors, the pub was the first and last chance to drink alcohol heavily before or after a long voyage.
Heinold's First and Last Chance is also known as "Jack London's
Rendezvous", as it was the inspiration for the Oakland writer's novels Call of the Wild and The Sea Wolf.
During prohibition
in the 1920's, the pub's central location near the ferry between Oakland and Alameda made it a popular first or last destination to drink alcohol, as its consumption and sale was not illegal in Oakland as it was in neighboring Alameda. Heinold's First and Last Chance was also a popular spot for sailors leaving or arriving through the Oakland port on long trips, known as the first or last place to drink alcohol in larger quantities. The popular nickname "First and Last" stuck, and the pub's name was eventually officially renamed to Heinold's First and Last Chance.
Heinold's First and Last Chance is one of the two most notable "Last Chance Saloons"
. The term "last chance" was a widely used by saloons in the U.S. beginning in the 19th century to indicate to customers that this was the last stop to purchase and consume alcohol before entering a dry county
, or other places where alcohol was not easily obtainable.
, after spending some time out at sea and traveling throughout the U.S. and Canada, returned to his hometown to complete his high school education. As a schoolboy, London would study at the bar's tables that remain today. At 17, he confessed to Johnny Heinold during his stay at the pub that he was planning to attend University and pursue a career in writing. Heinold leant London the money needed for tuition, and he enrolled at the nearby University of California, Berkeley
.
While London only made it through his first year of college, Heinold's pub introduced him to the sailors and adventurers that would influence his writing.
Many of London's evenings were spent at Heinold's pub, gathering ideas for his later works. In his autobiographical novel,John Barleycorn
, London mentioned the pub's likeness seventeen times. The pub was the place where London met Alexander McLean, a captain known for his cruelty at sea, whom the protagonist in London's novel The Sea-Wolf
, Wolf Larsen, is based.
Jack London's Rendezvous became the bar's nickname in more recent years because of its influence on the author. A sign was added to the original roof with the title.
Heinold's is the last commercial establishment in California with its original gas lighting
. The tables, which reportedly came from a whaling ship, and other furnishings date back to the days when Johnny Heinold ran the pub. The walls and ceilings are covered with business cards, hats of past patrons and money, often signed by sailors about to deploy so they would have money for a drink waiting for them upon their return.
The bar still holds the original potbellied stove used to warm the room, their only source of heat since 1889. Bob Fitzsimmon's
and Jimy Jeffries'
boxing gloves, John Hienold's hat remain where they were hung; and the original bar glassware, and mahogany bar are still in use today.
One of the most notable characteristics of the pub is the very slanted floor. The uneven ground formed in 1906 during the great San Francisco earthquake when a portion of the piles the pub is built on in swampy ground sank. In the corner of Heinold's is a clock that has been stopped since the moment of the 1906 quake, at 5:18.
Some say Heinold's First and Last Chance is haunted. Brookman, the current owner and other saloon employees have reported hearing footsteps and finding doors left open.
On September 1, 2000, the United States Federal Government listed Heinold's First and Last Chance on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Saloon
Saloon may refer to:* Saloon , a style of car body.* Saloon , a musical group.* Western saloon, a historical style of American bar.* Bar , a venue for alcoholic beverage consumption....
opened by John (Johnny) M. Heinold in 1883 on Jack London Square
Jack London Square
Jack London Square is a popular tourist attraction on the waterfront of Oakland, California. Named after the author Jack London and owned by the Port of Oakland, it is the home of stores, restaurants, hotels, an Amtrak station, a ferry dock, the historic Saloon, the cabin Jack London lived in the...
in Oakland, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The name "First and Last Chance"
Last Chance Saloon
Last Chance Saloon was a popular name of a type of bar in the United States which began to appear in the 19th century as an early expression of border economics...
refers to the time in which for many sailors, the pub was the first and last chance to drink alcohol heavily before or after a long voyage.
Heinold's First and Last Chance is also known as "Jack London's
Jack London
John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
Rendezvous", as it was the inspiration for the Oakland writer's novels Call of the Wild and The Sea Wolf.
Beginnings and name
The pub in its original form was a perserved building from 1880 built from the remnants of an old whaling ship at the foot of Webster Street in Oakland, where it remains today. It was originally designed as sleeping quarters for the workers of the nearby oyster beds, and was used as a bunk for nearly 3 years. In 1883 it was purchased by German-born Philadelphian Johnny Heinold for 100 U.S. dollars and with the help of a ship carpenter, converted into a pub which he named J.M. Heinold's Saloon.During prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
in the 1920's, the pub's central location near the ferry between Oakland and Alameda made it a popular first or last destination to drink alcohol, as its consumption and sale was not illegal in Oakland as it was in neighboring Alameda. Heinold's First and Last Chance was also a popular spot for sailors leaving or arriving through the Oakland port on long trips, known as the first or last place to drink alcohol in larger quantities. The popular nickname "First and Last" stuck, and the pub's name was eventually officially renamed to Heinold's First and Last Chance.
Heinold's First and Last Chance is one of the two most notable "Last Chance Saloons"
Last Chance Saloon
Last Chance Saloon was a popular name of a type of bar in the United States which began to appear in the 19th century as an early expression of border economics...
. The term "last chance" was a widely used by saloons in the U.S. beginning in the 19th century to indicate to customers that this was the last stop to purchase and consume alcohol before entering a dry county
Dry county
A dry county is a county in the United States whose government forbids the sale of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. Hundreds of dry counties exist across the United States, almost all of them in the South...
, or other places where alcohol was not easily obtainable.
Jack London's Rendezvous
Oakland author Jack LondonJack London
John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
, after spending some time out at sea and traveling throughout the U.S. and Canada, returned to his hometown to complete his high school education. As a schoolboy, London would study at the bar's tables that remain today. At 17, he confessed to Johnny Heinold during his stay at the pub that he was planning to attend University and pursue a career in writing. Heinold leant London the money needed for tuition, and he enrolled at the nearby University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
While London only made it through his first year of college, Heinold's pub introduced him to the sailors and adventurers that would influence his writing.
Many of London's evenings were spent at Heinold's pub, gathering ideas for his later works. In his autobiographical novel,John Barleycorn
John Barleycorn (novel)
John Barleycorn is an autobiographical novel by Jack London dealing with his enjoyment of and struggles with alcoholism. It was published in 1913. The title is taken from the British folksong "John Barleycorn".- Themes :...
, London mentioned the pub's likeness seventeen times. The pub was the place where London met Alexander McLean, a captain known for his cruelty at sea, whom the protagonist in London's novel The Sea-Wolf
The Sea-Wolf
The Sea-Wolf is a 1904 psychological adventure novel by American novelist Jack London about a literary critic, survivor of an ocean collision who comes under the dominance of Wolf Larsen, the powerful and amoral sea captain who rescues him...
, Wolf Larsen, is based.
Jack London's Rendezvous became the bar's nickname in more recent years because of its influence on the author. A sign was added to the original roof with the title.
Heinold's today
John Heinold ran the bar until 1939 wen his son, George, took over. George ran the bar until 1969 and his wife, Margaret, stepped in to run the establishment, continuing the tradition until 1984 when Carol Brookman became the proprietor.Heinold's is the last commercial establishment in California with its original gas lighting
Gas lighting
Gas lighting is production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, including hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, or natural gas. Before electricity became sufficiently widespread and economical to allow for general public use, gas was the most...
. The tables, which reportedly came from a whaling ship, and other furnishings date back to the days when Johnny Heinold ran the pub. The walls and ceilings are covered with business cards, hats of past patrons and money, often signed by sailors about to deploy so they would have money for a drink waiting for them upon their return.
The bar still holds the original potbellied stove used to warm the room, their only source of heat since 1889. Bob Fitzsimmon's
Bob Fitzsimmons
Robert James "Bob" Fitzsimmons , was a British boxer who made boxing history as the sport's first three-division world champion. He also achieved fame for beating Gentleman Jim Corbett, the man who beat John L. Sullivan, and is in The Guinness Book of World Records as the Lightest heavyweight...
and Jimy Jeffries'
James J. Jeffries
James Jackson Jeffries was a world heavyweight boxing champion.His greatest assets were his enormous strength and stamina. Using a technique taught to him by his trainer, former welterweight and middleweight champion Tommy Ryan, Jeffries fought out of a crouch with his left arm extended forward...
boxing gloves, John Hienold's hat remain where they were hung; and the original bar glassware, and mahogany bar are still in use today.
One of the most notable characteristics of the pub is the very slanted floor. The uneven ground formed in 1906 during the great San Francisco earthquake when a portion of the piles the pub is built on in swampy ground sank. In the corner of Heinold's is a clock that has been stopped since the moment of the 1906 quake, at 5:18.
Some say Heinold's First and Last Chance is haunted. Brookman, the current owner and other saloon employees have reported hearing footsteps and finding doors left open.
Historical landmark
On January 12, 1998 the Friends of Libraries U.S.A. added Heinold's to the Literary Landmarks Register. Outside they placed a plaque that reads:On September 1, 2000, the United States Federal Government listed Heinold's First and Last Chance on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.