- Dates
- 1956-12-30 – 1957-01-01
- Kind
- Transportation
- Where
- Saint James Harbor
- Eras
- Modern era
- Concepts
- shippingcommunicationtransportationcommunity
- Within
- Beaver Island
Summary
The January 1957 Beaver Beacon reported that bad weather delayed the Emerald Isle’s final December trip until New Year’s Day, when the ferry reached Beaver Island slightly iced. Joe McPhillips Flying Service then began the winter mail contract. The February issue reported an almost week-long mail interruption from bad flying weather.
Evidence and limits
This is a seasonal transport and mail-transition report, not a complete operating schedule. It does not supply a voyage log, carrier contract, weather series, or postal delivery record.
Sources
- Reports that the Emerald Isle’s final trip, scheduled for December 30, was delayed by bad weather; she left in the early afternoon of New Year’s Day, January 1, and reached the island around 12:15 p.m. slightly iced. It says the winter mail contract began with Joe McPhillips Flying Service. It does not provide a complete voyage log, contract, weather series, or mail-delivery schedule. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1957-01_Beaver-Beacon
- The held four-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the seasonal ferry and air-mail transition; it does not expand the voyage, contract, or postal record.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1957-01_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports that bad flying weather caused almost a week without mail in January, contrasting the interruption with older periods when island mail could be delayed for weeks. It does not provide a flight log, weather series, carrier contract, or complete delivery record. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1957-02_Beaver-Beacon
- The held three-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the weather-related mail interruption; it does not expand the postal, aviation, or weather record.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1957-02_Beaver-Beacon
Added 3 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “Emerald Isle begins the 1956–57 winter ferry and air-mail transition, 1957”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/beaver-island-winter-ferry-closure-and-air-mail-1957/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, January 1957, “Last Boat.” (and 3 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 “Emerald Isle begins the 1956–57 winter ferry and air-mail transition, 1957”RIS for “Emerald Isle begins the 1956–57 winter ferry and air-mail transition, 1957”