Skip to content

Murder mystery writer's daughter recalls taking part in mother's 'research'

Writer, newspaper founder recognized on Walk of Fame

Prolific writer Helen Arvonen and influential newspaper publisher James Watson Curran were inducted into Sault Ste. Marie’s Walk of Fame at a ceremony at the Essar Centre on Thursday.

The annual event is a joint project between the City of Sault Ste. Marie and the Queenstown BIA aiming to recognize locals who have made “a significant contribution” in their chosen field.

Arvonen started her career writing under pennames for pulp mystery and science fiction magazines and then went on to write 15 novels under her own name mostly in the ‘gothic mystery’ genre.

Her work was often published alongside the likes of Ray Bradbury and other similar authors.

On the back cover of a vintage copy of The Two Mrs. Carrolls, her novelization of the Humphrey Bogart movie, it reads, “Helen Arvonen writes of deliberate and cold-blooded murder in the true gothic style, as terror sets in and begins its chilling work.”

Arvonen lived and worked in Sault Ste. Marie while her books were published and translated Internationally.

Daughter Theone Collins accepted the award for her mother, who died in 1992.

“My mother didn’t seek out publicity. She wanted to get her ideas into stories and books more than anything else. It wasn’t about making a name for herself, “ she said.

Collins has childhood memories of her mother “doing research” for her stories.

“She wanted to sneak up behind me with a long scarf and pretend to strangle me with braids because they were going to try and murder the heroin in her book. The next time she wanted to put a bag on my head and tie my hands behind my back because she wanted to see how long it took for me to chew my way out of a paper bag. I refused that one, wisely I think,” she said.

James Watson Curran was born in Ireland in 1865 and was one of 12 children in a family that immigrated to Canada in 1872 after a fire destroyed their homestead.

During the late 19th Century he worked for newspapers, travelling to cover the Boer War for the Montreal Herald, which he then became editor of.

In 1901 he moved to Sault Ste. Marie where he and his brother Bill bought the Sault Weekly Star turning it into a daily publication and expanding its readership.

Today that newspaper is The Sault Star.

Curran made many contributions to the city that include the 1919 creation of a Turkey Draw to help needy residents, starting up Community Nights in 1922 (which later became RotaryFest), helping to get the Rotary Arch built, and creating a Wolf Week in 1932 drawing thousands of visitors to the city. 

In the mid 1920s, as part of a committee to commemorate local soldiers who died in World War I, Curran was able to get Rudyard Kipling to write a poem for the city’s cenotaph.

Accepting the induction for Curran was Suzanne Farrell, the eldest of Curran’s 26 grandchildren.

“He had a great imagination and he loved the community and his family very much. He was older when he married and every child was a jewel to him. As each one of his grandchildren came along we were also very important to him,” said Farrell who remembers the grandchildren always getting “the big hug” when they would visit him.

Arvonen and Curran join 38 other past inductees including Dr. Roberta Bondar, John Rhodes, and Phil and Tony Esposito.

Duane Moleni, Manager of the Queenstown BIA, said usually the ceremony coincides with the placement of name-inscribed stone plaques on the sidewalk adjacent to the Essar Centre but because the stones had been getting damaged by snow plows they were temporarily in storage until a new home could be found.

So that there was something to award, this year’s inductees received glass trophies.

Once the new Walk of Fame location is set up the inductees will also get stone plaques.

Councilors Steve Butland, Frank Fata, Susan Myers, and Matthew Shoemaker were also in attendance.


What's next?


If you would like to apply to become a Verified reader Verified Commenter, please fill out this form.




Jeff Klassen

About the Author: Jeff Klassen

Jeff Klassen is a SooToday staff reporter who is always looking for an interesting story
Read more