The ferry churned through Lake Michigan as we departed the docks at Charlevoix. The sun was bright, and the cloudless sky almost matched the intense deep blue of the water.
It was a “bluebird” day, an idyllic term northern Michiganders use to describe perfect summer days.
Hurrying to catch the ferry, I hadn’t taken time to grab anything for lunch. Not a good move I discovered. I was headed for Beaver Island, 32 miles off shore and a two-and-a-half hour boat ride away, and the ferry had no snack service … not even drinks. My stomach rumbled.
Noticing my plight, a kindly couple seated next to me offered to share their ample lunch and drink. It turned out they were island residents, and I have a hunch they’d seen this scenario several times before while making passages between the island and mainland. They had more than enough for two packed in that picnic basket.
We leisurely ate lunch and talked about living on the island. The small corps of residents that choose to call this isolated spot home are a friendly, open lot that love to talk about life on the island and its relaxed ways.
The largest island in Lake Michigan (third largest in the Great Lakes) is home to 400 year-round residents. Many of whom trace their roots to the Irish immigrants that made Beaver a bustling 19th Century fishing port.
Isolation has preserved its slow pace of life and the beauty of this 53-square-mile island, the centerpiece of an archipelago that includes smaller High, Whiskey, Garden, Trout, North Fox, Gull and Squaw Islands. Labeled “America’s Emerald Isle” by its residents, the emerald forests that still cover much of Beaver reminded 19th Century Irish settlers of their homeland.
St. James, the island’s only village, gently curves around the Great Lakes’ largest natural harbor–Paradise Bay. You can stroll the quiet harbor road to a handful of shops and galleries, relax in the colorful Shamrock Pub frequented by island residents or hike to nearby windswept Whiskey Point to admire the 19th Century lighthouse.
Along main street, the only bit of paved surface you’ll find on the entire island, the Mormon Print Shop and Museum, provides an absorbing look at the island’s most notorious character, James Jesse Strang.
In 1848 Strang, self-declared leader of the Mormon church, brought his followers to Beaver Island. At the same time a split occurred in the Mormon ranks and Brigham Young, who also claimed leadership, took his followers to Utah.
Strang claimed to have been visited by an angel who told him to seek a place surrounded by water with great forests. Eight years later, through political and economic pressure, the Irish who arrived first in 1840 had been forced off the island. Strang had won a seat in the fledgling Michigan Senate and declared himself king of the island. By some accounts, a decree ordering women to wear bloomers sparked an 1856 revolt that left Strang dead and his followers scattered. Others say it was sparked by a couple of jealous husbands.
When word of the revolt spread to the mainland the original Irish settlers came back to reclaim their lands. The leaderless Mormons left quietly without a fight and joined their brethren in Utah.
Faced with famine in their homeland more Irish settlers arrived to join relatives who had sent word back to the “homeland” about a place where there was plenty of fish to eat and land to farm. During the island’s heyday at the turn-of-the-century the population of Beaver was around 2,000 people. Fishing and timber made it one of the most important ports on the Great Lakes. As the commercial fishing dwindled and shipping entered the modern era, the population reached a low of 150 in the 1960s. Today tourism and second-home construction have given the island new life.
The new Marine Museum, with artifacts such as an early lighthouse keeper’s gear and the lifeboat from a wreck that rests off-shore, occupies a renovated fishing shed on the other side of the harbor.
From St. James, miles of nature trails and nearly 100 miles of country roads with lyrical Irish names like Paid Een Og’s (young Peter) wind through the forested interior and along sandy stretches of beach and dunes that remind you of Cape Cod.
The northern third of the island is the most populated, and this is where you’ll find remnants of the old homesteads. The century-old stone house at the corner of Paid Een Og and King’s Highway, the Bonner Centennial Farm with its rows of Colonial-era wooden fence lines and the historic Protar home on Sloptown Road are just a few interesting sites. A trip down Darkeytown Road leads you to Barney’s Lake with its scenic dunes, a great place to hike and explore.
Donegal Bay, located on the western side about two miles from St. James, is the modern side of the island. The new homes nestled along the shore in a dunescape setting will remind you of Cape Cod. Needle-like Mt. Pisgah, the highest point on the island, rises a couple of hundred feet above Lake Michigan. Along the way you pass scenic Font Lake, one of the many inland lakes dotting the island.
The bottom two-thirds of the island is heavily forested, at times forming a canopy over the West Side Road. The road along the southern end of the island hugs the lake and offers more beautiful dunescapes around Iron Ore Bay. Just before heading around the bay you pass Beaver Head Lighthouse, which was first built in 1851. It’s normally open for a self-guided tour.
Hiking and mountain biking are popular forms of transportation for exploring the island. If you want to explore the southern end of the island, you’ll probably want a vehicle. By bike it would be approximately 37 miles round trip from the village.
A few words of caution: obtain a good map of the island and stick to the main roads. The lower half of the island is dotted with marsh land. Many of the trails shown on the map crossing the interior either end in marshes or are impassable because of fallen trees.
If you go, leave your attitude and impatience at home. Life slows down the minute you leave the docks. Exploring is slow going, but that’s part of Beaver Island’s appeal. You can’t hurry here, even if you wanted to.
GETTING TO AND STAYING ON BEAVER ISLAND
Transportation: The ferry leaves Charlevoix daily from mid-April to late December. During the summer months there are two to three trips per day. Adults are $29 per person round trip, and children (5-12) are $14.50. If you want to take your bike, add $12.
You also can get there by air, but part of the charm of the trip is the 2 1/2-hour ferry boat ride across Lake Michigan.
For ferry schedules and reservations, contact the Beaver Island Boat Co. at 616-547-2311. For flight information and rates, contact Island Airways at 616-547-2141.
Lodging: Choices range from motels and cabins to campgrounds. There are no resorts or large chain motels on the island, just quaint little “mom and pop” facilities, which fits well with the rustic atmosphere. Call the Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce at 616-448-2505 for a complete listing. Reservations are recommended in July and August because choices are limited and fill quickly.
The St. James Township Park Campground on the north end of the island is the closest to the village ferry dock–within a mile. Overlooking Garden Island, it attracts a lot of mountain bikers during the summer. The State Forest Campground is located eight miles south of town along a beautiful stretch of beach on the eastern side of the island. It makes a good starting point for exploring the bottom half of Beaver.
Dining: Besides the Shamrock Pub with its colorful cast of island characters, other good eating choices include: The Rectory, which actually served that purpose for a now defunct convent; the Beachcomber for simple fare and good sandwiches; and Beaver Island Lodge for more upscale dining.
McDonough’s Market, the oldest family business on the island, has a complete supply of grocery items if you’re renting a cabin or camping. Still family owned, it has been operating in the same location since 1933.
Vehicle rentals: Bringing your own car to Beaver on the ferry is an option, but it’s expensive–$98 for a car and $136 for a van, round trip. A better solution is to rent a vehicle on the island. Rentals run from $75 a day in July to as little as $35 in spring and fall. Beaver Island Marine (616-448-2300) rents the little GEO Trackers, which is perfect for a couple or small family of four or five. Gordon’s Auto Clinic (616-448-2438) rents Suburbans, which will comfortably accommodate larger groups of up to nine people. It’s a good idea to call ahead during the summer months. Supply is limited.
Mountain bike rentals are available at Lake Sports on a “first come” basis.
