- Date
- 1950-10
- Kind
- Conservation
- Where
- Saint James Harbor
- Participants
- Archie Lafreniere (witness) · Warren Shapton (enumerator)
- Eras
- Modern era
- Concepts
- fishingwildlifeanimalsbirdsenvironmentconservationtourismcommunity
- Within
- Beaver Island
Summary
An October 1950 Charlevoix County Herald report described preparations for what Stewart E. Coleman, secretary of the Charlevoix Chamber of Commerce, called an unprecedented number of fishermen and hunters expected in the Charlevoix area over the following two or three weeks. The fall perch run had reached a peak the report expected to continue for at least two more weeks, in both Charlevoix Harbor and Round Lake on the mainland and in St. James Harbor on Beaver Island, described as 32 miles off the port of Charlevoix in Lake Michigan.1
Archie Lafreniere, secretary of the Beaver Island Association of Commerce, reported that the run at St. James was the greatest in five years and that perch taken in the preceding days had been larger than usual; one day’s catch by Beaver Islanders that week totaled 1,750 pounds, and many perch as large as 18 inches were taken.1
The report also announced that a bird-hunting season would open on Beaver Island for the first time in many years, permitting hunters to bag sharp-tail grouse that the Michigan Department of Conservation had introduced on the island in recent years, while ruffed-grouse and pheasant shooting was prohibited for that season. Snowshoe rabbits were described as plentiful, and their season would open with the small-game season; the state had also placed cottontail rabbits on the island in recent years, but their season was closed that year.1
The Conservation Department planned to observe the results of the sharp-tail grouse season on what the report called the “16-mile historic island,” and to use those observations, together with a survey of the sharp-tail population, to set hunting regulations for the following season. Warren Shapton, a game-division biologist from Lansing, was expected to visit Beaver Island during the bird-hunting season to observe and study the progress of planted ruffed grouse.1
The same account describes access from Charlevoix by the daily 9 a.m. Motorship North Shore ferry, which also carried automobiles, or by a 20-minute flight from the Charlevoix airport operated by the McPhillips flying service, which flew to the island throughout the day whenever there were passengers. It lists island accommodations at the King Strang hotel, cabin resorts, and tourist homes, and identifies the Beaver Island Association of Commerce as a source for lodging reservations.1
Evidence and limits
The event is dated to October 1950, the issue month. The report says the bird season would open on Sunday but does not supply a numeric opening date in the article; no exact season end, catch register, survey result, legal order, aircraft identity, or North Shore ownership is inferred. The source’s references to introduced sharp-tail and planted ruffed grouse are preserved as different statements rather than merged into one stocking history. The held 1941 and 1952 orders are legal records, not substitutes for the missing 1950 season notice, survey, or later outcome evidence.
Open questions
- What were the 1950 season dates and the regulations adopted for the following year?
- Can Michigan conservation records identify the sharp-tail and ruffed-grouse stocking programs and their outcomes?
- What full identities and records belong to Archie Lafreniere and Warren Shapton?
- Which operator owned or ran the North Shore in 1950, and what was the island landing site for the flights?
See also
- Beaver Island
- Saint James Harbor
- Archie Lafreniere
- Warren Shapton
- Beaver Island Association of Commerce
- Beaver Island Deer Hunting Reopened for the 1938 Season
- Michigan Conservation Commission Beaver Island Sharp-Tailed Grouse Closure Order, 1941
- Michigan Conservation Commission Beaver Island Cottontail Rabbit Closure Order, 1952
Footnotes
Read the document
6 pages, rendered from the held scan.
Sources
- Charlevoix County Herald, October 20, 1950, “Perch Fishing And Bird Hunting at its Peak on Beaver Island.”Reports a strong perch run at St. James Harbor, a one-day catch of 1,750 pounds and perch up to 18 inches, the first bird season in many years, introduced sharp-tail grouse and rabbits, planned conservation observation and survey, Warren Shapton’s visit, ferry and airplane access, and the Beaver Island Association of Commerce. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
- Held raw OCR preserves the same fishing, game-management, travel, and accommodation report independently.
- Project research record for Beaver Island wildlife management, 1938–1950.Preserves the 1,750-pound perch catch, reported perch size, introduced or planted game-bird/rabbit distinctions, planned observation, and explicit limits on season dates and outcomes. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.kb_research · beaver_island_wildlife_management_1938_1950
Added 1 August 2026 · revised 3 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “Perch Fishing and Bird Hunting on Beaver Island in 1950”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/beaver-island-perch-and-bird-hunting-1950/, accessed [date], citing Charlevoix County Herald, October 20, 1950, “Perch Fishing And Bird Hunting at its Peak on Beaver Island.” (and 2 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.
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