Pike County author Zane Grey wrote America’s most beloved Westerns from a farmhouse overlooking the Delaware River. This winter, visitors can still walk in his footsteps.

LACKAWAXEN, PIKE COUNTY — Long before Hollywood discovered the American West, a dentist-turned-author was sitting in a farmhouse on the banks of the Delaware River in the Pocono Mountains, crafting the stories that would define a genre.

Zane Grey, whose novels shaped the mythology of the American frontier for generations of readers, wrote his most famous works not in Arizona or Wyoming, but here in Pike County, Pennsylvania — in the heart of the Pocono Mountains region. His former home in Lackawaxen, now a National Park Service museum along the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, stands as a testament to a writer who sold nearly 40 million books in his lifetime — and millions more after his death.

For residents of Pike, Wayne, and Monroe counties, Grey’s legacy is a source of local pride and a year-round tourism draw that puts the Poconos on the literary map.

From Dentist to Legend

Grey’s path to literary immortality began with heartbreak and rejection.

Born Pearl Zane Grey in Zanesville, Ohio in 1872, he attended the University of Pennsylvania on a baseball scholarship, earning a degree in dentistry to satisfy his stern father. After graduating in 1896, he opened a practice in New York City, but his heart was never in it.

“Realism is death to me. I cannot stand life as it is,” Grey once wrote.

Escape came in the form of fishing trips to the upper Delaware River — the scenic waterway that forms the boundary between Pennsylvania’s Pike and Wayne counties and New York State. Grey and his brother Romer fell in love with the Pocono Mountains region, returning repeatedly to fish and camp along the Delaware and Lackawaxen rivers.

It was on one such trip, around 1900, that Grey met Lina “Dolly” Roth, a local schoolteacher from a prominent Pike County family. Their five-year courtship would change the course of American literature.

When Grey’s early manuscripts were rejected by every major publisher, he self-published his first novel, “Betty Zane,” in 1903. When Harper & Brothers rejected his work again, Dolly mortgaged her inheritance to support his writing career.

The couple married in 1905 and settled in a farmhouse on Dolly’s family’s land at the confluence of the Lackawaxen and Delaware Rivers in Pike County. Grey had abandoned dentistry entirely, betting his future on the Pocono Mountains wilderness that had captured his imagination.

It was the best decision he ever made.

The Poconos Years: Pike County Becomes Literary History

The house in Lackawaxen, a 17-room structure overlooking the historic Roebling Bridge — an engineering marvel built by the same John Roebling who later designed the Brooklyn Bridge — became the crucible of Grey’s genius. The property sits at the northern edge of the Pocono Mountains, where Pike County meets Wayne County along the Delaware River.

Here, surrounded by the forests and rivers of northeastern Pennsylvania, Grey wrote “Heritage of the Desert” in 1910 — his first commercial success. Two years later, while sitting in his first-floor study with views of the Delaware, he completed “Riders of the Purple Sage,” the novel that would become the bestselling Western of all time.

Grey was methodical in his craft. Dolly edited every manuscript and negotiated every contract. Remarkably, the couple split their earnings fifty-fifty, a progressive arrangement for the era. Without Dolly’s business acumen and unwavering belief in her husband’s talent, literary historians agree, there would be no Zane Grey as we know him.

From 1905 to 1918, the Lackawaxen home was Grey’s primary residence. He raised three children there — Romer, Betty, and Loren — in what remains one of Pike County’s most historically significant properties. He fished the Delaware and Lackawaxen rivers obsessively, an activity that informed his vivid descriptions of the natural world. The Lackawaxen River, which flows through Wayne County before joining the Delaware at Grey’s doorstep, was reportedly where the author first learned to fly fish.

His first published piece, “A Day on the Delaware,” appeared in Recreation magazine in 1902, earning him ten dollars and a lifetime of encouragement. The article described fishing expeditions in the waters that still draw anglers to Pike and Wayne counties today.

By 1918, Grey’s success demanded a move to California, where he could oversee film adaptations of his novels. But Lackawaxen remained his spiritual home. When he died of heart failure in 1939 at age 67, he was buried in Union Cemetery, within sight of the house where he’d found his voice.

A Pocono Legacy Preserved

Today, the Zane Grey Museum is operated by the National Park Service as part of the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, which spans portions of Pike, Wayne, and Sullivan counties in Pennsylvania. The forest-green house, painted the exact shade it was when the Grey family lived there, contains photographs, first editions, fishing tackle, and a recreation of his writing space.

The Wayne County Historical Society maintains detailed records of Grey’s time in the region, and both Pike and Wayne counties promote the museum as a key cultural attraction.

This past July, the 19th Annual Zane Grey Festival drew hundreds of visitors to Lackawaxen for demonstrations of primitive skills, wagon rides by Brookvalley Farms, and readings of Grey’s work. Honesdale’s Burger Shack — from the Wayne County seat just 15 miles north — served food to festival-goers. Author Gary Letcher presented “Place Names of the Upper Delaware,” connecting Grey’s legacy to the broader history of the Pike County and Pocono Mountains region.

“We hold this Zane Grey festival to highlight the life of Zane Grey, but also what brought him to this beautiful area,” park ranger Suzy Kasper told attendees. “Why he built this house right on the Delaware River.”

Winter Eagles at Grey’s Doorstep: A Pocono Mountains Tradition

Though the museum closes after September, Grey’s legacy draws visitors to Lackawaxen year-round — especially during the winter months when the Pocono Mountains transform into a premier wildlife viewing destination.

The Zane Grey River Access, located across the street from the museum in Pike County, has become one of the premier eagle-watching sites in the entire Northeast. During January and February, migrating populations of bald eagles descend on the Upper Delaware River region, and the access point offers unobstructed views of their flight paths. The nearby Mongaup Falls Reservoir in neighboring New York State, and viewing areas along the Rio Reservoir, create a network of eagle-watching opportunities that draw birders from Monroe, Pike, Wayne, and Carbon counties — and beyond.

During Eagle Watch Weekends, volunteers from the Delaware Highlands Conservancy staff the site to help visitors spot the majestic birds. It’s a fitting tribute to Grey, who wrote so passionately about the natural world and the wild creatures that inhabited the Pocono Mountains wilderness.

The grounds of the museum remain accessible throughout the winter months. Visitors can still obtain a National Park Passport stamp for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River from the museum’s front porch. A short walk away, Grey and Dolly rest side by side in Union Cemetery, their graves visible from the house where they built their dreams.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Grey’s impact on American culture is difficult to overstate.

He published nearly 90 books, including 60 Westerns, 9 fishing memoirs, and several collections of short stories. More than 110 films and at least one television series were adapted from his work. At one point, he held 10 world records for deep-sea fishing catches.

But perhaps more importantly, Grey created the template for the Western genre itself. The strong, silent cowboy. The vast, unforgiving landscape. The clash between civilization and wilderness. The triumph of moral courage over cynicism.

Erle Stanley Gardner, creator of Perry Mason, put it best: “Zane Grey had the knack of tying his characters into the land, and the land into the story. There were other Western writers who had fast and furious action, but Zane Grey was the one who could make the action not only convincing but inevitable.”

President Dwight D. Eisenhower counted Grey among his favorite authors. Generations of readers discovered the romance of the American West through his prose.

And it all started in a farmhouse in Pike County, Pennsylvania — in the Pocono Mountains that Grey loved.

If You Go

Zane Grey Museum 135 Scenic Drive, Lackawaxen, Pike County, PA 18435

The museum is open Memorial Day weekend through the last weekend of September. Admission is free. Self-guided tours include the first floor of the house and a recreation of Grey’s writing space. A National Park Passport stamp is available year-round on the front porch.

Getting There from the Poconos:

• From Stroudsburg (Monroe County): Approximately 40 miles northeast via Route 6 through Milford (about 50 minutes)
• From Honesdale (Wayne County): Approximately 15 miles south via Route 6 and Route 590 (about 25 minutes)
• From Hawley (Wayne County): Approximately 20 miles via Route 6 (about 30 minutes)
• From Milford (Pike County): Approximately 15 miles north via Route 6 (about 20 minutes)

Winter Eagle Watching The Zane Grey River Access is open year-round and offers free parking and river views. Eagle Watch Weekends typically take place in January and February. Check with the Delaware Highlands Conservancy for dates and volunteer schedules at www.delawarehighlands.org.

Union Cemetery Grey and his wife Dolly are buried in Union Cemetery on Scenic Drive, a short walk from the museum. The graves are accessible year-round and offer views of the house where Grey wrote his masterpieces.

Nearby Attractions:

• Roebling Bridge (Historic suspension bridge, adjacent to museum)
• Ski Big Bear (Masthope, Pike County — winter skiing and tubing)
• Lake Wallenpaupack (Wayne/Pike County line — boating, dining)
• Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (Monroe/Pike counties)

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For more information, visit nps.gov/upde or call 570-685-4871. The Zane Grey Museum is part of the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, managed by the National Park Service.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Zane Grey? Zane Grey (1872-1939) was an American author who wrote over 80 books, primarily Western novels. He is considered the “Father of the Western Novel” and his best-known work, “Riders of the Purple Sage,” remains the bestselling Western of all time.

Where did Zane Grey live in Pennsylvania? Grey lived in Lackawaxen, Pike County, Pennsylvania from 1905 to 1918. His home overlooked the confluence of the Delaware and Lackawaxen Rivers in the Pocono Mountains region. The house is now the Zane Grey Museum, operated by the National Park Service.

Is the Zane Grey Museum open in winter? The museum building is open Memorial Day weekend through the last weekend of September. However, the grounds, National Park Passport stamp station, and nearby Union Cemetery (where Grey is buried) are accessible year-round. Winter is an especially popular time to visit for eagle watching at the adjacent Zane Grey River Access.

Where can I watch bald eagles in the Poconos? The Zane Grey River Access in Lackawaxen, Pike County, is one of the premier eagle-watching sites in the Northeast. Eagle Watch Weekends in January and February draw visitors from across Monroe, Pike, Wayne, and Carbon counties. The Delaware Highlands Conservancy provides volunteers and viewing assistance during these events.

How far is the Zane Grey Museum from Stroudsburg? The Zane Grey Museum is approximately 40 miles northeast of Stroudsburg, Monroe County — about a 50-minute drive via Route 6 through Milford.