One afternoon early in the fall of the year, Jim was on one of his evening strolls down a byway along the very edge of the Huron River as it made its way out of Ann Arbor. It was during the course of this walk that Jim Curwood chanced upon one of the most beautiful creatures of womanhood that he had ever seen. About a mile down this path along the Huron from whence one turns off to follow the course of the river, Jim found her. The path was called then, as it still remains, “Schoolgirl Glen.” Jim had long come to consider this particular spot as his own, and upon discovering the intruder, beautiful as she was, he resented it somewhat. He had grown to love the bigness and glory of the solitude here. From this spot a man’s eyes could roam for countless miles and see nothing but the beauty and glory of nature.
As Jim came upon the young lady she turned about, smiled, and spoke to him. Then he smiled, too. Smiled as he had never smiled before. It was not as a matter of politeness that a smile came to his face then, but because he felt like smiling at that particular moment.
All about them were massive pines, spruces and willows and many varieties of shrubs and bushes. Jim later often referred to the spot as one of the most beautiful that he knew of.
At first he was backward and shy, but when his newly-found companion began talking about nature and the very things that Jim Curwood loved so well, almost immediately his backwardness vanished and he found himself in a veritable “Garden of Eden.” Jim could hardly believe that there could possibly be two people in the same world who viewed things so nearly alike.
For many hours they talked of the beauties of nature, of the wilderness and of their own love of wildlife. They spoke of what they thought should be done in order to preserve our natural resources. Jim found himself liking this new youthful companion who loved nature as he did. This meeting between the two was the beginning of a serious romance, which resulted in their marriage on January 15, 1900, exactly six months later.
From that time on Jim found that he had to work much harder than ever before in order to make ends meet. He drove himself in his story writing, hardly relaxing or letting up. Story after story and article after article he would grind out in an effort to make a decent living. In fact, Jim was all but driving himself to the very limit. When asked why he was working so hard, he would reply:
“Why not? I have something to work for now!”
About this time the Gray Goose Magazine began accepting Jim’s stories more regularly. Various other magazines, both slicks and pulps, began taking an interest in his work. What with all of his newspaper free-lancing and his magazine work, Jim was finally managing to make both of the proverbial ends meet.
At last when the school year ended and the glorious summer of 1900 began, Jim and his lovely wife began making new plans. So promptly and without much deliberation, they headed for the Big Marsh country. The call of adventure was strong in Jim’s blood once again. He was coming back to nature and the life he loved so dearly, only this time he was not alone.
The summer was wonderfully and educationally spent by just the two of them. They were constantly on the move as they journeyed from one beauteous spot to another, making sure they missed nothing. They were taking in all the wonderous sights that were available in the Big Marsh country. They loved the great open spaces where one could breathe clean, fresh air and where all the creatures of the wild were at home, playing, working and making ready for the coming of winter. That particular summer of 1900 was one of the most enjoyable that James Oliver Curwood had ever spent.