- Date
- 1940-11-11
- Kind
- Weather
- Where
- Saint James Harbor
- Participants
- Martin Arthur “Big Art” Larsen (captain) · James J. “Shing” Martin (captain) · Frank Left (captain) · Andy Gallagher (captain) · Roland McCann (captain)
- Eras
- Modern era
- Concepts
- maritimefishingheritageenvironment
- Within
- Beaver Island
Summary
The Armistice Day Storm struck Beaver Island on November 11, 1940, according to a later Beaver Beacon account. Island fishermen were lifting nets near Gull Island when the storm approached. The Estonia, Evelyn, and mail boat Mary Margaret are named in the account, along with Frank Left, Andy Gallagher, Roland McCann, Arthur “Big Art” Larsen, and “Shing” Martin.
The rising water broke lines, pushed seas over the harbor docks, and forced boats to run out the storm or beach themselves. The report says the Estonia came safely ashore at the northeastern end of the harbor and that the Evelyn was run onto the beach. The fishing fleet lost many boxes of nets; the account calls the storm a turning point in Great Lakes fishing.
Evidence and limits
This is a source-bounded local retrospective, not a contemporaneous weather log, casualty list, or complete fleet record. It supports the date, harbor sequence, named boats and people, and reported net losses. It does not establish the storm’s meteorological measurements, the identity of the two “ancient shipwrecks,” the complete list of affected boats, or a single proven ecological cause for the later fishery decline. The later account’s lamprey explanation is preserved as local speculation rather than a demonstrated causal finding.
Open questions
- Which contemporary weather, Coast Guard, harbor, or fishing records document the storm?
- What became of the named vessels and the other boats that ran out the harbor?
- Can the reported net loss be reconciled with a surviving fishing or insurance ledger?
See also
Sources
- Retrospectively dates the storm to November 11, 1940 and recounts the Estonia, Evelyn, and Mary Margaret in and around St. James Harbor, named local skippers, rising water, beaching, and the loss of fishing nets.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1968-11_Beaver-Beacon
- The held seven-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1968-11_Beaver-Beacon
- Retrospective obituary/profile for Martin Arthur “Big Art” Larsen independently remembers the 1940 storm, his nearly $7,000 net loss, and the Estonia breaking its moorings and going high and dry on the beach.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1964-06_Beaver-Beacon
- The held five-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1964-06_Beaver-Beacon
- Helen Hoffman Collar’s retrospective describes the 1915 harbor fishery and identifies Big Art Larsen’s Estonia as the Island’s first diesel-powered outfit; it is contextual evidence, not a complete fleet register.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1964-09_Beaver-Beacon
- The held eight-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1964-09_Beaver-Beacon
Added 1 August 2026 · revised 3 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “Armistice Day storm at Beaver Island, 1940”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/armistice-day-storm-at-beaver-island-1940/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, November 1968, “Beaver Tales.” (and 5 further sources listed on the page).
Last revised 2026-08-03. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.
BibTeX for “Armistice Day storm at Beaver Island, 1940”RIS for “Armistice Day storm at Beaver Island, 1940”