Michael Barnes Keeps Northern Ontario’s Mining Heritage Alive – by Adelle Larmour
Established in 1980, Northern Ontario Business provides Canadians and international investors with relevant, current and insightful editorial content and business news information about Ontario’s vibrant and resource-rich North. This article is from the November, 2010 issue.
Chronicled the North’s Facinating History and Folklore
Humility and hard work has kept one Ontario author’s pen to the parchment.
Michael Barnes, a prolific Haliburton-based writer and author of several Canadian bestsellers, describes himself as a middle-rank writer that people don’t remember. Yet he has produced more than 50 books, the majority of them about the history of Northern Ontario.
“I’m one of those people that fill up bookshelves in libraries,” he said.
Even though people may not remember his name, they recognize him as the fellow who writes mining books. “That doesn’t bother me. I would rather have the guy up the hydro pole shout down and say: ‘I just read your latest book.’… I want them in the hands of the average person.”
His written contribution to preserving the history of Ontario’s North was recognized by the Canadian government when he was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 1994. Read the rest of this entry »
posted in Canadian Mining History, Michael Barnes History Columns, Northern Ontario History | Comments Off
