On This Day in 1872, western novelist Zane Grey was born!

Grey fell in love with Oregon's Rogue River in the 1920s. He would spend the rest of his life writing about the river's pristine wilderness and abundant fishing opportunities.

In 1925, Grey launched an expedition down the Rogue from Grants Pass to Gold Beach. It was on this trip that he first visited Winkle Bar. In 1926, he returned to the spot to purchase the land and build his cabin.

In "Tales of Freshwater Fishing," Grey described his new acquisition.

"The rushing river at this point makes a deep bend round a long oval bar, with rocky banks and high level terraces above, and both wooded and open land. Here it flows through a lonely valley set down amid the lofty green mountain slopes. A government forest trail winds out some twenty miles to the nearest settlement. Far indeed it is across the dark Oregon peaks to railroad or automobile road!"

It was here, and along other portions of the Rogue River, that Grey was inspired to write such books as “Rogue River Feud,” “Shooting the Rogue,” and “Tales of Freshwater Fishing.”

Grey’s prose drew visitors by the thousands, and helped make the Rogue River a premiere destination for world class steelhead fishing, recreation, and wildlife viewing.

In 2008, the BLM purchased the property to help preserve its unique historic values. In 2012, we began documenting the site’s historic significance for the National Register of Historic Places. With funding and volunteer support from the Farnley Tyas Foundation, considerable work was done to the property and to the cabin. Our hope was that visitors could one day experience the scenery and history of Grey’s era.

Not even wildfire could stop us. In 2013, we transformed cabin into a space-age silver chalet to protect it from raging summer firestorms.

Finally, in 2016, the historic Zane Grey Cabin at Winkle Bar was officially designated for preservation under the National Register of Historic Places. This honor is intended to provide recognition of the site’s significance and to encourage its continued preservation.

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