Zane Grey Pueblo

Zane Grey, author of The Vanishing American, once lived on Catalina Island. His former hillside residence later became a hotel.

In 1926, best-selling American novelist Zane Grey, known for writing about the American West, constructed a home on the slope above Avalon Bay. During much of his later life, Avalon was where he wrote and fished. The source page includes an attributed Zane Grey saying that connects his writing with his passion for fishing. His works include Call of the Canyon, Riders of the Purple Sage, The Thundering Herd, Under the Tonto Rim, and The Vanishing American. Many of Grey’s books were adapted for film; 112 films have been made from his novels. Parts of the movies The Vanishing American and The Thundering Herd were believed to have been filmed on Catalina Island, and those productions are thought to explain how 14 bison came to the island in the 1920s.

Originally from Ohio, Zane Grey first came to the island in 1905 while honeymooning with his wife Dolly. Dolly and Zane relocated west in 1918 and made their home in Altadena. A dedicated fisherman, Zane enjoyed the waters around Catalina Island and briefly served as president of the Tuna Club after catching a record setting tuna.

Zane Grey’s Catalina Island home was built between 1924-1926. His Hopi Indian adobe-style hilltop estate was inspired by Native American dwellings he had encountered in Arizona. Set high above Avalon Bay, across from the Catalina Chimes Tower, the property included a garage, an apartment, and a guest house. Following Grey’s death in 1939, at age 67, the pueblo was changed into a hotel. The hotel offered 16 rooms, a pool, and broad views of Avalon Bay. It closed in 2011, went through an extensive renovation, and reopened in November of 2019. A new section, the North Tower, includes eight new suites named after Zane Grey book titles. The South Building contains rooms from the original estate. The hotel has also added an elevator and more dining space.

Zane Grey and Zane Grey and wife Dolly on Catalina Island. Photo Credit: AP & Daily Breeze.