- Born
- circa 1911
- Eras
- Modern era
- Concepts
- maritimecommunityheritage
Summary
Clayton Brown, 25, survived the February 1936 Lake Michigan ice-floe incident after drifting in an open boat with Claude Beardsley and Earl Cunningham. He left the boat on Monday morning and reached the mainland with both feet frozen.
Evidence and limits
This episode-qualified record preserves the newspaper’s age and relationship description without naming Brown’s mother or assigning a later civil identity. The reported age of 25 supports only an approximate 1911 birth year. The source does not provide his exact address, occupation, or subsequent life.
Open questions
- Can local or Coast Guard records establish Brown’s full identity and later life?
- Which hospital record documents his frostbite treatment?
See also
Sources
- Charlevoix County Herald, February 14, 1936, “Lake Michigan Claims 2 Lives.”Identifies Brown as 25, says he was the son of the proprietor of the Nighthawk Tavern in Boyne City, and reports that he reached shore after drifting in an open boat while both feet froze. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
Added 1 August 2026 · revised 2 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “Clayton Brown”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/people/clayton-brown/, accessed [date], citing Charlevoix County Herald, February 14, 1936, “Lake Michigan Claims 2 Lives.”.
Last revised 2026-08-02. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.