Zane Grey cabin now a public site

Zane Grey first came to Rogue River country in 1916, "though he had little luck fishing while his party caught steelhead by the dozens," his great-grandson wrote in an e-mail. "He returned in 1925 with ambitious plans to run the upper reaches of the Rogue in custom-made boats. The trip down the rapids was dangerous and left Grey badly bruised after his boat grounded. But it's clear from his writing that he considered the trip worth it."

The next year he bought the mining claim as a wilderness retreat, though he was often frustrated fishing there. Others he brought along caught more than he did.

"My great-grandfather said that he spent 'one of the briefest and happiest days I have ever had' on the Rogue near Winkle Bar, despite the fact he never got a single bite fishing," Eric Grey said in his e-mail. "He was in love with the wilderness, and the pristine Rogue was a remnant of what America had been.

"I think he really loved the scenery and the fact that it was very similar to what California looked like 50 years before," Eric Grey said of the Rogue. "He remarked on several occasions that he was upset that all the rivers in California were dying and all the fish were gone but Oregon was still essentially intact."

According to Eric Grey, Zane Grey once wrote, "The quail and trout have vanished from California, and the forests are following. I'm glad Romer (Zane Grey's son) can still see something of wild America, but I fear his son never will."

"That quote is very personal to me," said Eric Grey. "He's talking about my father never seeing this wilderness. We've definitely seen more of it disappear. I'm glad there are at least efforts to preserve places like the Rogue. Maybe I'll have kids someday, and it will be there for me."