Owosso's castle and the Polar Express: Shiawassee's storybook side
Shiawassee County's seat keeps a riverside writer's castle and the famous steam locomotive Pere Marquette 1225 — the engine behind the Polar Express.
Owosso, the largest city in Shiawassee County, has two landmarks straight out of a storybook. The first is Curwood Castle, the riverside writing studio that adventure novelist James Oliver Curwood started in 1922. The City of Owosso says his books were among the most popular in North America during the 1920s and many became movies. The castle is a museum now, and the city holds the Curwood Festival in his honor each June.
The second breathes fire. The Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso is home to Pere Marquette 1225. Its blueprints and sounds helped shape the train in the film version of ‘The Polar Express.’ Each winter, it pulls North Pole Express trips through the Michigan cold.
Around these two showpieces are the rest of the county’s landmarks: Durand’s grand railroad depot and museum, Corunna’s courthouse square, and Laingsburg’s lake country. It is an easy drive to Lansing or Flint but a world apart in pace.
Where to see it
Curwood Castle is at 224 Curwood Castle Drive in Owosso. The Steam Railroading Institute is across town. Use each museum's current calendar before planning a visit or train ride.
Sources
Last reviewed against the listed sources: July 16, 2026.