The Writer Who Told Frank Miller's Story

Like Frank Miller, Zona Gale was a native of Wisconsin. Unlike Miller, she continued to return to live in her home state. Her mother, Eliza Beers Gale, wrote in her journal:

…A Darling Blessed daughter – Little Zona, to gladden our hearts and make our home O so bright with her glad voice and sweet smiles. Yes, we have a daughter, born on the 26th of August 1874, and O how we love her, how good that God should send us such a treasure. (Derleth, Still Small Voice, page 3).

Born in 1862 to Charles and Eliza Gale in Portage, Wisconsin, a small village at the confluence of the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers, Gale returned repeatedly to her roots. As one biographer wrote: "The two words: 'Portage, Wisconsin' signified life to Zona Gale. There she was born, and there she was secured by ties of home and parents. These two words, written by her thousands of times, became charged, she said, in a way unknown to the casual visitor."

She used the setting of her home village, Portage, in her writings.

She remained close to her parents and credited them with her own success, and characterized: "I inherited predominant elements of character from both parents. From my mother's imagination and initiative, from my father's reflective and meditative tendencies; from both, the power of concentration, and whatever kindness and a socialized nature I have carried on." (Derleth, Still Small Voice, page 25).

In 1891, Zona Gale enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, approximately 40 miles south of Portage. In November of that year, she submitted a poem, "A Rose," to the school magazine The Aegis. She won second place for this submission. She soon became one of the editors of this literary magazine at the University. (Derleth, Still Small Voice). After graduating in 1895, she was invited by a close friend to Milwaukee to stay with her while she was seeking work. Day after day, she visited the Evening Wisconsin asking for writing assignments. Finally, she joined the staff. Eighteen months later, she moved to the larger Milwaukee Journal. By 1901, she was ready to move east to New York, where she soon joined the staff of the New York Evening World.

In 1903, Zona made her first trip to California to care for an elderly family friend in Redlands. During this trip, she also visited the Mission Inn. Other trips would follow, beginning around 1912, as she sought to escape the Midwestern winters by coming to California.

One of Gale's largest bodies of work was her eighty-three "Friendship Village" stories written between 1908 and 1919. In addition, there was a novel, a novelette, and a play set in this location featuring the same village characters. In the "Friendship Village," Zona had invented a magic city with its roots in Portage.

In 1919, Gale submitted the novelette Miss Lulu Bett to several publications. It was published in 1920, and in 1921, the play adaptation of the story won her the Pulitzer Prize.

The University of Wisconsin–Madison awarded her with an honorary doctorate, and she later served as a regent at her alma mater. She was a strong advocate of women's rights, world peace, and an active member of the progressive movement in Wisconsin.

Zona Gale, accompanied by her mother, arrived at the Mission Inn for an extended stay on March 9, 1922, a year after winning the Pulitzer. Meanwhile, her play had been made into a picture by William de Mille, the older brother of Cecil DeMille. The movie was shown at the Loring Theater, where it was well received. During her stay, the Daily Press published "Miss Lulu Bett" in serial form over several issues.

Although she could not attend the dedication of the Peace Tower on Mount Rubidoux in honor of Frank Miller in December 1925, she wrote a letter and sent a check to contribute to the project.

Her next extended stay at the Mission Inn was the winter of 1926-1927. On March 7, 1927, during this stay, Zona Gale, along with Henry Van Dyke and Joseph Lincoln, was honored with the planting of trees in the "Friendship Grove" located in Low Park on Magnolia Avenue. DeWitt Hutchings welcomed everyone to the ceremony. The shovels used by the guests in the city were inscribed with their names. The park board planned to continue this practice, inviting famous men and women visiting Riverside to plant trees in this "Friendship Grove." Gale remarked: "When I return to Riverside in future years, and I hope to come often, it will be a great privilege to come to this beautiful park and see how my tree is growing. I shall expect you people of Riverside to take good care of my tree."

Later in 1928, when Authors' Row was added to the Mission Inn, Henry Van Dyke (Room 415), Zona Gale (Room 409), and Joseph Lincoln (Room 411) all had rooms named in their honor.

While staying at the Inn that winter, Gale reconnected with a friend from her youth, William Breese. Breese's wife had recently died, and he was traveling in Southern California. They met again after many years at the Mission Inn. A year later, in October 1928, they were married in Portage, Wisconsin. Gale was fifty-four at the time.

In March 1935, Gale and her husband, William Breese, once more stayed at the Mission Inn for an extended period. Frank Miller had pleaded with her to write his biography, as he felt they shared social, political, and philosophical ideals. They spoke at Miller's beach home in Laguna as Marion Miller, his wife, took shorthand notes for Gale to use. The publication was not ready for Miller as he died on June 15 of that year. Three years later, Gale finished the biography on Miller. Frank Miller of Mission Inn was published in 1938.

In addition to her contribution to the Peace Tower on Mount Rubidoux, Zona Gale had other connections to the mountain. She climbed it several times to attend the Easter services initiated by Frank Miller. The 1936 Easter Sunrise Service was dedicated to the honor of Miller, who had died the previous year. In the service program, there was a tribute to Miller, written by Gale, titled "Tomorrow's Man." She wrote:

Frank Miller was tomorrow's man as well as a great figure of today. He made Christianity his program, his practice, and his power.... How far succeeded, this Easter service, this mountain, the Inn, which is a shrine, and all the other rich achievements of his life do bear witness.

During the fall of 1938, Gale suffered a cough and bronchial problems. Finally, in December, a few days before Christmas, her husband, William, had her hospitalized in Chicago. There, on December 27, she died at the age of sixty-four. Three days later, she was buried in Portage. Her funeral service at the Presbyterian church was filled with dignitaries and local friends.

Printed on the back cover of the April 9, 1939, Easter Sunrise Pilgrimage was "A Tribute by Zona Gale." The program explained that "The above was written by Zona Gale after attending a previous Easter Sunrise Service on Mt. Rubidoux and is quoted in appreciative memory of her."

Article adapted from They Climbed the Mountain: Notables Who Climbed Mount Rubidoux.