Heinhold's First and Last Chance Saloon

56 Jack London Square

Oakland,CA 94607

510.839.6761

 

 

In a recent autumn afternoon, when the sun was glowing amber low on the horizon, I rose from a newly constructed redwood loft, scaled down a steel ladder salvaged from a foundered tug boat, and ambled down the street to Jack London Square. Ever since reading Jack London's book 'John Barleycorn' many years ago I have always wanted to visit the fabled Heinhold's First and Last Chance Saloon. In this autobiographical book that confronts alcoholism the saloon plays a significant role in Jack's life on the waterfront. I had heard that the saloon was still open, but never made the effort to find it. Having moved to Oakland a short while ago I now thought it was a formidable time in my life to go in search of this historic place.

Jack London Square was easy to find. It's a well-marked, touristic, outdoor mall situated along the waterfront in Oakland. Everything that made the waterfront charming back in the day - seafarers and stevedores, the stink of fishing boats and canneries - is now long gone. These days the old, raw character has been replaced by coffee shops, restaurants, book stores, and boutiques offering an interminable line of Jack London merchandise. It brought to mind places like Cannery Row in Monterry, CA where visitors are bombarded by every imaginable John Steinbeck souvenir that can be cheaply manufactured in third-world countries. It is a spirit-less way to celebrate great authors. As I waded through the knick-knack hawkers I wondered how Heinhold's First and Last Chance Saloon would fit into this squeaky-clean, well-polished, entrepreneurial spectacle. I searched high and low for what in my mind was the Mecca of all drinking spots; my efforts were nil. There was one area I hadn't considered, but I thought it was too far from the center of the square for such an auspicious place to be located - why name a public place after someone and then brush the spirit of their character aside? Negotiating around a construction site I espied on the far end of Jack London Square a small, unassuming, wooden building. If it were any farther away it would have been sunken in the Oakland Estuary.

I had found what I was looking for: Heinhold's First and Last Chance Saloon, opened 1883. Apparently the building was fashioned out of timbers from an old whaling ship in 1880, used as a bunk house by men tending the nearby oyster beds for the following three years, then in 1883 Johnny Heinhold purchased the building for $100 dollars and converted it into a saloon. The name, First and Last Chance came about in the twenties when the Oakland ­ Alameda ferry launched and departed next to the saloon. Alameda was a dry city at the time, so commuters had either their first or last drink at Heinhold's. Additionally, military personnel from both Oakland and Alameda often shipped-out after having their last drink at Heinhold's.

Entering the saloon the first thing one notices is the tilting floor. The pilings underneath the saloon gave way in the 1906 earthquake leaving half of the floor space at a sharp angle. The tilt produced a curious feeling of inebriation in me even though I hadn't touched so much as a drop of liquor. I sat at one of the tables made level by blocks of hand-cut wood fitted under the legs, but I still had a feeling of incongruity because the rest of the room was crooked.

The cash-only saloon is more than just a drinking spot; it's a building with an engaging history. After ordering a pint of Guiness I gazed at the myriad of relics and photographs adorning the walls and ceiling. For those interested in Jack London it's fascinating to know that Jack studied at the same tables, made notes for books he would later write, and negotiated the purchase of three sailing ships in the saloon. It was Johnny Heinhold who actually loaned Jack the money for tuition when Jack expressed interest in attending the University of California. A second pint of Guiness later and I was still inspecting the remnants of over one hundred years of patronage. By now the amber sunlight had faded and the bartender began lighting the original overhead gas lamps. This turned my attention to the blackened ceiling covered with money.

It was fortuitous that Carol Brookman, current operator of the saloon, should walk in when I happened to be gazing upward. Carol is a veritable treasure trove of First and Last Chance history. She acquired operations from the Heinhold family in 1984 agreeing to maintain the saloon's appearance and Johnny Heinhold's original vision. The creosote-soaked timbers, gas lamps, and cigarette smoke have all contributed to the dark, rustic ceiling. The paper money was signed and left behind by men headed off to war. The idea was that upon return their branded bill could be retrieved from the ceiling and used to pay for the first drink. Unfortunately most of the bills have never been claimed.

Alongside Heinhold's is a fenced-off, slumped over log cabin, held together by 2x4s, and resting on two steel girders. When I asked Carol about the cabin she confirmed it was the cabin Jack London stayed in while living in the Yukon. I then asked why both the cabin and saloon should be so far away from the square and unmarked when both should be center stage. Apparently the Port of Oakland made that decision. It seems they liked the idea of cashing-in on a famous authors name, but yet have no regard for preserving history. At one point they even considered tearing down the saloon to expand the parking lot. Last year, with no assistance from the Port of Oakland, Heinhold's First and Last Chance Saloon was designated a National Literary Landmark on 12 January 1998. Hopefully this noble act will secure the saloon's longevity.

 

 

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