James Oliver Curwood was born in Owosso on June 12, 1878, and lived there most of his life. Writing and love of nature were his boyhood interests, and by 1908 Curwood was earning his living as a novelist. Most of his stories were adventure tales set in the Canadian north, where the author spent much of his time. During the 1920s his books were among the most popular in North America, and many were made into movies. The castle, built in 1922, was his writing studio, and a number of his later works were composed in the tower, overlooking the Shiawassee River. Curwood became a zealous conservationist, and in 1926 he was appointed to the Michigan Conservation Commission. He died at his nearby home on Williams Street on August 13, 1927.

The castle was given to the City of Owosso after Curwood died. It has served in various capacities over the years and is now a museum operated by the city, and is open to the public.

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This French Norman chateau-style castle stands along the riverbank of the Shiawassee River in Owosso. It was built by James Oliver Curwood one of the country’s best selling authors at the turn of the century. The early 1900s, not Y2K. He wrote several books with many of them based on life in the remote northern wilderness. His final book was inspired by the sawmill town of Damon near West Branch. ( you can see my post about it HERE)  His books have been out of print for years and because they are old enough, they are no longer protected by copyright laws and in the public domain.  You can download them and several other books for free from the  Gutenburg Project at Gutenberg.org.

James Oliver Curwood books can be downloaded HERE and you can find the most popular downloaded books HERE They are available in pdf and epub along with many other popular file formats.

If you are looking for something to read with the library and book stores closed this is an option. Most of the books are older books but many are popular are literary classics. It’s interesting looking at the list, I think almost all of them have been made into movies. probably because the studios did not have to pay the author for use of their work.

If you enjoy reading books and Michigan be sure to check out the Lost In Michigan books available on my website HERE

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In the heart of downtown Saginaw is a century-old castle. William M. Aiken designed this stately “French chateau” castle and the corner towers represented the defensive feature of frontier life. It was built for the post office and opened in 1898. At the time the post office was trying to build buildings that reflected the city they were constructed in. This is one of the few extravagant buildings the post office built probably after the cost of such buildings was unnecessary.

The post office outgrew the building and built a new one in the 1960s. Believe it or not this magnificent building faced demolition a few times but was saved and turned into a museum for the Saginaw County Historical Society.

If you live in Saginaw I will be giving a presentation on Tuesday, November 19th at 7:00 pm at the Zauel Memorial Library on Center Rd. If you are in the area I hope you will come out and listen to my story.

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Hidden away in a private community known as the Canadian Lakes is a marvelous concrete castle. In 1974, Developer Donald Bollman purchased swampy farmland between Mount Plesant and Big Rapids. He converted the area into a private community with lakes, golf courses and tennis courts for the residents and their guests to enjoy. He built this castle on one of three golf courses in the community. The lower floor serves as a banquet center and the upper floor was used as a residence for the Bollman family. After Donald died the family sold the castle to the Canadian Lakes Property Owners Corp.  The castle is known as the Highland Castle for the name of the golf course which is located next to it. The castle is used for weddings and private functions for residents of the community.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this week you can order them  HERE 

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