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Beaver Island Transit Company

Also Beaver Island Transit Co.

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

Locator map: Saint James highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
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WithinSaint James
ErasModern era
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Locator map: Saint James highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Within Saint JamesLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
Company
Eras
Modern era
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Within
Saint James

Summary

The Beaver Island Transit Company is the company named in the January 1937 Herald as operating the Marold II and directing the gasoline salvage operation at Simmons Reef. The report identifies Everett Cole as its head. A 2003 ferry-history retrospective also names the company as a later operator of the North Shore.

Evidence and limits

The held sources establish the company’s name, Beaver Island connection, and relationship to the Marold II salvage operation, but do not provide its incorporation date, legal records, complete fleet, or full relationship to the later Beaver Island Boat Company. Those questions remain open.

Open questions

  • When was the company formed, and what were its legal successors or predecessors?
  • Which vessels did it operate besides the Marold II, Ramblar, and later North Shore?
  • Can company, newspaper, or state corporate records identify its officers and owners?

See also

Sources

  1. Charlevoix County Herald, January 8, 1937, “Coast Guards Abandon Search for Three Men Missing in Marold II Explosion.”
    Identifies Everett Cole as head of the Beaver Island Transit Company, says the company operated the Marold, and reports its gasoline salvage operation. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    charlevoix · Charlevoix_County_Herald_1937-01-08
  2. Charlevoix Courier, 2003, “Many ferries have served the island,” scrapbook section.
    Later ferry history says the North Shore was eventually sold to the Beaver Island Transit Co.; it does not provide incorporation or ownership records. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    charlevoix · charlevoixcouri2003unse_0
  3. Retrospectively names Everett Cole, Hugh Roland, Bruce McDonough, Lloyd McDonough, and Nels J. LaFreniere as the members of the newly formed company that purchased the Marold II in September 1935. It does not establish incorporation, shares, officers, or a complete company history. 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 · 1976-04_Beaver-Beacon
  4. The held issue confirms the retrospective company and purchase account.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1976-04_Beaver-Beacon

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

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Beaver Island Transit Company”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/organizations/beaver-island-transit-company/, accessed [date], citing Charlevoix County Herald, January 8, 1937, “Coast Guards Abandon Search for Three Men Missing in Marold II Explosion.” (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.

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