Tuscola: A Memoir: Place, Time, and Meaning of Hometown

by Joseph Colwell, Katherine Colwell (Editor), Michael Carroll (Introduction)

How much of your childhood do you remember? What can you recall of your hometown? Who were the people who influenced your life? These are questions that Joseph Colwell answers for himself in his recollections of growing up in the small Illinois town of Tuscola. At the time, his adventures and experiences seemed nothing special. But looking back over 60 years, he remembers with fondness the place where he grew up and the time of mid-twentieth century. The place and the time laid the foundation for his life and for countless others. His hope is that everyone who grew up in a hometown similar to this one, especially a half century ago, will be able to relate to a place and a time that formed their values and character, which stayed with them throughout their lives. Think of your own growing up as you enter Joseph's time machine. Joseph describes the values of a hometown and how this small town was his home, even after he left it to pursue his career out West. Many of the businesses and people who were teachers, mentors, and adult influences on his life and the lives of his contemporaries. The place was important but also was the time--mid twentieth century. He describes how that world is gone, but why we remember it in such fond terms as seen from today's world.

196 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2020

About the author

Joseph Colwell of Hotchkiss, Colorado, thinks and writes about nature and the environment, mixed with his own philosophy and lifestyle. His first two books are short essays and poems about subjects as varied as California redwoods, Utah slickrock canyon country, and ravens and dead mountain lions. He has been writing essays for many years as a form of a personal journal. Canyon Breezes, Exploring Magical Places in Nature describes favorite places he has visited and lived and their meaning and memories to him. Zephyr of Time, Meditations on Time and Nature is about the significance of time, both geologic and personal.

In 2018, he put his creativity to work in the form of fiction with the publication of two novels. Sands of Time, A Flight of Discovery and Search for Meanings of Time touches on subjects ranging from the geology of the Colorado Plateau, quantum physics, time travel, Apache culture, spirituality, and otherworldly advanced life forms. This search for the meaning of an earth-shattering discovery raises questions about our very existence and life on earth.

Tales of Ravens Nest, A Life, A Place: Stories and Reflections is a collection of short stories tied together to read like a novel. They are a combination of fictionalized autobiographic experiences as well as personal philosophies and environmentally oriented stories.

After a career as a land manager across the West with the U.S. Forest Service, Joseph and artist wife Katherine now own and operate Colwell Cedars Retreat on 40 acres of juniper forest overlooking the North Fork Gunnison River in western Colorado. They teach art and nature related lifestyles.

Joseph believes we are losing touch with nature and is trying to relay his environmental philosophy in his writing. With literary idols such as John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Sigurd Olson, Joseph tries to convey the meanings of nature and our place in it. “We need to be aware of the life that surrounds us, the history of the land itself, and our responsibility to the future.”

He can be reached at ColwellCedars.com or jcedarsj@gmail.com

Reviews

[Steve French · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be a fascinating account of Tuscola thought not the same as my memories. It reminded me of many things but Mr. Colwell and I had very different experiences. We also had some very similar experiences. Being 5 years younger and not having moved to Tuscola until 1960 my experiences were different. I wasn't living in town but in a housing addition a 1/2 mile south of town and my experiences were mostly with the people that lived in the subdivision. Once in school I broadened my horizons and my experiences more closely reflect Mr. Colwell's. I truly believe this is a book worth reading as a prompt for anyone who grew up in a small town in the Midwest.

[David Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the book focuses on small-town Tuscola, Illinois, half a century ago, it could be any small Midwestern town. It's interesting, insightful and relatable to just about anyone.