G. VON PLATEN

I stumbled upon the personalized, handwritten journal of G. von Platen, at the Corvallis, Oregon Heartland Humane Society Thrift Store in February of 2021.

Upon perusing through its pages I found references to Petoskey and Grand Rapids, Michigan. My heart skipped a beat as I was raised in Grand Rapids and lived near Petoskey. I was curious as to who this individual was and how did a journal referencing GR end up in my new adopted city of Corvallis?

I did a quick online search and found a Godfrey von Platen, lumber baron, mill owner from Michigan. 

Godfrey was born April 11, 1867 in Germany, emigrating here when he was two years old with his parents. The family first lived in Chicago, then Emmett Michigan where his father built a flour mill at Advance near Petoskey.