A family story says the author’s grandfather crewed for the famous author
Chasing a family myth, chasing a legend, and chasing a long-departed grandfather. It started when I unearthed a Polaroid of me after fishing in Avalon with my grandpa, Harry Tyler. There I stood, circa 1970, complete with Tuffskin jeans, the light blue cardigan my grandma probably made me wear, and my Gilligan-style bucket hat. Three fish, proudly held out to the camera showing a part of the day’s catch.
That picture reminded me of so many great memories with my grandpa and grandma on Catalina. Grandpa ran a successful printing business in San Pedro and drummed up a lot of business in Avalon where he was a member of Chamber of Commerce. He loved doing business on the Island because it gave him another excuse to go fishing. Those fond memories prompted me and my wife to buy our first boat, a small sport fisher, to recreate those Avalon experiences with our three sons (and eventual grandkids). We were even lucky enough to find a slip in the Santa Barbara harbor.
I’m an avid surfer, ocean lover, and I even worked at the Catalina YMCA Camp (Camp Fox) as a teenager; however fishing never appealed to me like it did to my older brother. So when my grandpa passed away decades ago, my brother became the caretaker of all my grandpa’s fishing gear. Last year at Christmas, he gave me two tackle boxes full of grandpa’s old gear including two classic Penn reels which I painstakingly restored. I’m still a fishing novice, but Harry’s gear comes with me whenever I head out to sea.
Somewhere in this process, I started focusing on an old family story that asserts that my grandpa, when he was a young man, crewed on a fishing boat in Avalon for Zane Grey. I can’t exactly say why, but I became hell bent on connecting the dots between my grandpa and the fabled author, outdoorsman, and fisherman. What started as a curiosity slid into a mild obsession and then it became the windmill I would tilt at ever since.
First, I read every Zane Grey biography I could get my hands on. Then I researched the archives at BYU and UCSB, corresponded with an author and the Santa Cruz Island Foundation. Next I dug into the Islander’s online archive where I found an article that felt like a small breakthrough.
The Islander article, from 1927, stated my grandpa worked for the Islander for several summers, most likely in the early 1920s—placing Harry on the Island in the same time frame as Zane. I understand that Zane was a vociferous letter to the editor writer (submitted by hand back then) so I have to imagine that my younger grandpa may have met Zane at the Islander office and would have leapt at the chance to crew for him.
Next I read a book by a former Catalina harbor master which led me to track down the author to learn more. As with everyone I’ve dealt with in this hunt, he was more than generous with his time.
At the end of our talk, he told me about a 92-year-old barber that had been cutting hair for decades who may, just may, recall a picture of my grandpa. So I wrote Mr. Saldana a letter and he promptly welcomed me to the island for a haircut and a conversation.
I felt like I was on a bit of a roll, so I contacted the Tuna Club knowing full-well its private nature. When I told them what I was hoping to accomplish, they welcomed me to come to the island and look at their archival material. Both the Islander and Art & History Museum had the same welcoming response. So I hopped on the ferry and stayed at the Zane Grey Hotel (of course).
And that’s where my luck slowed to a trickle.
The materials at the Tuna Club, Islander, and the Museum were helpful as background information about the era, yet there was no “aha moment” to confirm the connection between my grandpa and Zane. Even Lolo, after a great conversation and looking at pictures of my grandpa, could not place him. In baseball parlance, the trip seemed like a swing and a miss. In spite of that, I’m grateful to those I met on the island for their willingness to help.
The silver bullet, the smoking gun, the holy grail likely rests in “The Log of the Gladiator” (one of Zane’s boats). Zane kept detailed records of his daily fishing trips while on Avalon and it’s my hope that somewhere, buried in that log, is a reference to “deckhand Harry Tyler.” So there it is Avalon. That’s my hope, and here’s my ask—that someone reading this might know of the location of the Log of the Gladiator or some other source to help me turn a family myth into fact.
If you have information that can help Paul Bradford, email him at bradfordpaul@gmail.com.
A family story says the author’s grandfather crewed for the famous author
Chasing a family myth, chasing a legend, and chasing a long-departed grandfather. It started when I unearthed a Polaroid of me after fishing in Avalon with my grandpa, Harry Tyler. There I stood, circa 1970, complete with Tuffskin jeans, the light blue cardigan my grandma probably made me wear, and my Gilligan-style bucket hat. Three fish, proudly held out to the camera showing a part of the day’s catch.
That picture reminded me of so many great memories with my grandpa and grandma on Catalina. Grandpa ran a successful printing business in San Pedro and drummed up a lot of business in Avalon where he was a member of Chamber of Commerce. He loved doing business on the Island because it gave him another excuse to go fishing. Those fond memories prompted me and my wife to buy our first boat, a small sport fisher, to recreate those Avalon experiences with our three sons (and eventual grandkids). We were even lucky enough to find a slip in the Santa Barbara harbor.
I’m an avid surfer, ocean lover, and I even worked at the Catalina YMCA Camp (Camp Fox) as a teenager; however fishing never appealed to me like it did to my older brother. So when my grandpa passed away decades ago, my brother became the caretaker of all my grandpa’s fishing gear. Last year at Christmas, he gave me two tackle boxes full of grandpa’s old gear including two classic Penn reels which I painstakingly restored. I’m still a fishing novice, but Harry’s gear comes with me whenever I head out to sea.
Somewhere in this process, I started focusing on an old family story that asserts that my grandpa, when he was a young man, crewed on a fishing boat in Avalon for Zane Grey. I can’t exactly say why, but I became hell bent on connecting the dots between my grandpa and the fabled author, outdoorsman, and fisherman. What started as a curiosity slid into a mild obsession and then it became the windmill I would tilt at ever since.
First, I read every Zane Grey biography I could get my hands on. Then I researched the archives at BYU and UCSB, corresponded with an author and the Santa Cruz Island Foundation. Next I dug into the Islander’s online archive where I found an article that felt like a small breakthrough.
The Islander article, from 1927, stated my grandpa worked for the Islander for several summers, most likely in the early 1920s—placing Harry on the Island in the same time frame as Zane. I understand that Zane was a vociferous letter to the editor writer (submitted by hand back then) so I have to imagine that my younger grandpa may have met Zane at the Islander office and would have leapt at the chance to crew for him.
Next I read a book by a former Catalina harbor master which led me to track down the author to learn more. As with everyone I’ve dealt with in this hunt, he was more than generous with his time.
At the end of our talk, he told me about a 92-year-old barber that had been cutting hair for decades who may, just may, recall a picture of my grandpa. So I wrote Mr. Saldana a letter and he promptly welcomed me to the island for a haircut and a conversation.
I felt like I was on a bit of a roll, so I contacted the Tuna Club knowing full-well its private nature. When I told them what I was hoping to accomplish, they welcomed me to come to the island and look at their archival material. Both the Islander and Art & History Museum had the same welcoming response. So I hopped on the ferry and stayed at the Zane Grey Hotel (of course).
And that’s where my luck slowed to a trickle.
The materials at the Tuna Club, Islander, and the Museum were helpful as background information about the era, yet there was no “aha moment” to confirm the connection between my grandpa and Zane. Even Lolo, after a great conversation and looking at pictures of my grandpa, could not place him. In baseball parlance, the trip seemed like a swing and a miss. In spite of that, I’m grateful to those I met on the island for their willingness to help.
The silver bullet, the smoking gun, the holy grail likely rests in “The Log of the Gladiator” (one of Zane’s boats). Zane kept detailed records of his daily fishing trips while on Avalon and it’s my hope that somewhere, buried in that log, is a reference to “deckhand Harry Tyler.” So there it is Avalon. That’s my hope, and here’s my ask—that someone reading this might know of the location of the Log of the Gladiator or some other source to help me turn a family myth into fact.
If you have information that can help Paul Bradford, email him at bradfordpaul@gmail.com.
