- Died
- 1946-08
- Eras
- Modern era
- Concepts
- landhomesteadingtextilessettlementtoponymy
- Within
- Beaver Island
- Media
- Beaver Island History Map, 1978 revision
Summary
Ina Redding was a Chicago seamstress and Beaver Island homesteader associated with the west-side route now called Mrs Redding Trail. A federal patent issued December 14, 1923 granted her 170.75 acres in Township 38 North, Range 11 West, Sections 24 and 25. This is direct evidence for the remote homestead remembered in later island histories.
Homestead and trail
The 1978 Historical Map says Mrs. Redding lived alone at the end of Redding’s Trail. A February 1976 Beaver Beacon account independently describes an old house at the far end of Reddings Trail and Mrs. Redding’s old cabin just south of it. The federal patent and newspaper together support her association with the remote west-shore end of the route.
They do not establish that she lived alone throughout her residence. A 2026 Beaver Island Historical Society exhibit feature says relatives visited, that she wintered in Chicago while returning in summer, and that she later moved to a cabin closer to town. The map’s compact wording is therefore treated as a description of her remote homestead, not a complete household history.
Wildwood and occupation tradition
The Historical Society feature says Redding first came around 1916, probably cooked for the Wildwood Inn construction venture, returned to Chicago after the project failed, and worked as a seamstress. The article itself marks parts of that account as “believed” or “likely.” The 1923 patent is firm; the earlier Wildwood compensation and work arrangement still needs Citizens Realty, bankruptcy, property, or employment documentation.
Earlier trail claim
The map also calls Redding’s Trail an extension of the Peshawbe’s Town trail. No early road record, plat, or first-person account located in this pass proves that sequence. Current OpenStreetMap geometry cannot be projected backward as the exact historical trail. The connection remains a source-attributed research lead.
Open questions
- When did Ina Redding first arrive on the island, and how, if at all, was she compensated for cooking during the Wildwood Inn venture the 2026 feature dates to “around 1916”?
- Where was the cabin closer to town that the 2026 Historical Society feature says she later moved to?
- Does any land, deed, or first-person account confirm the 1978 map’s claim that Redding’s Trail extended the Peshawbe’s Town trail?
If you can answer any of these, or correct anything above, the archive wants to hear it — see Corrections.
See also
The page
Rendered from the held scan.
Sources
- Primary federal record grants Ina Redding 170.75 acres in T38N R11W, Sections 24–25. It directly establishes the west-shore homestead and patent date, but not her arrival, household composition, occupation, or the trail’s earlier alignment. The holder's public portal is searchable but does not link this record directly; the archive holds a copy of the file and can provide it on request.federal · glo · patents · 10237654941762632324-patent-ser-926677
- Places an old house at the far end of Reddings Trail and Mrs. Redding’s old cabin just south of the party’s stop. This supports the map’s cabin-at-the-end association but was published decades after her residence. 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 · 1976-02_Beaver-Beacon
- Institutional exhibit feature describes her as a Chicago seamstress, gives a circa-1916 Wildwood venture, return to Chicago, 1923 homestead, seasonal residence, and 1946 death. It explicitly labels several Wildwood details as believed or likely; those details remain qualified.
- Described in this archive: Beaver Island History Map, 1978 revision.Says Redding’s Trail extended the Peshawbe’s Town trail and that Mrs. Redding lived alone at its end. The patent and later newspaper corroborate the homestead/cabin association, but not the predecessor route or uninterrupted solitary residence.
Added 7 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “Ina Redding”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/people/ina-redding/, accessed [date], citing U.S. General Land Office, Homestead Patent 926677, Ina Redding, 14 December 1923. (and 3 further sources listed on the page).
Last revised 2026-08-07. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.