Name: Charlevoix brothers walk across the ice to Beaver Island, 1963
Start: 1963-02-24
End: 1963-02-24
Location: Beaver Island

Locator map: Beaver Island highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago — Took place at Beaver IslandLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.

Event

Date: 1963-02-24
Kind: Transportation
Where: Beaver Island
Eras: Modern era
Concepts: maritimetourismcommunityenvironment
Within: Beaver Island

Summary

On February 24, 1963, Charlevoix brothers Ivan Whitley and Donald Whitley walked to Beaver Island across the winter ice. The March Beaver Beacon says they left Charlevoix at 7:45 a.m. in temperatures around five degrees below zero, covered approximately 26 miles, and were met near Sand Bay by Walt Wojan on a snow scooter. They were then guests at a Civic Association smorgasbord.

Evidence and limits

The article is a local account of an unusual winter journey. It does not provide a route survey, ice measurements, independent travel log, or proof that the editors’ “first” claim is exhaustive.

Open questions

Can the Whitleys’ own account, photographs, or Charlevoix records be located?
What exact route and ice conditions did the crossing use?

Sources

Beaver Beacon, March 1963, “Ice Hikers Visit Island.”
Reports Ivan Whitley, 27, and Donald Whitley, 25, leaving Charlevoix at 7:45 a.m. in sub-zero, windy conditions, covering approximately 26 miles, and being met near Sand Bay by Walt Wojan; it calls the walk a first as far as the editors knew.
data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1963-03_Beaver-Beacon
Beaver Beacon, March 1963, held issue PDF, source scan.
The held six-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 · 1963-03_Beaver-Beacon

Added 1 August 2026 · revised 3 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Charlevoix brothers walk across the ice to Beaver Island, 1963”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/beaver-island-ice-walkers-1963/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, March 1963, “Ice Hikers Visit Island.” (and 1 further source 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.

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