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Martin Arthur “Big Art” Larsen

Also Martin Arthur Larsen · Arthur Larsen · Art Larsen · Big Art

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

TypePerson
Born1898-01-30
Died1964-06-03
WithinBeaver Island archipelago
ErasModern era
On this page
Person
Born
1898-01-30
Died
1964-06-03 · Petoskey
Work
Commercial fisherman (perch, trout, whitefish) · Diesel engineer, Great Lakes vessels (White Swan, North Shore) · Commercial perch fisherman (renewed, with Charley Martin and Jack Conaghan) · Fishing committee chairman, Beaver Island Civic Association Dawn Patrol
Member of
Beaver Island Historical Society
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
maritimefishingcommunityheritage
Within
Beaver Island archipelago

Summary

Martin Arthur “Big Art” Larsen was born on Garden Island on January 30, 1898, moved with his family to Beaver Island in 1906, and became a commercial fisherman. The June 1964 Beaver Beacon says he married Sybil Tilley in 1918 and worked from an early age with his father. It identifies his diesel tug Estonia and remembers his nearly $7,000 net loss in the 1940 Armistice Day storm, after which he worked as a marine diesel engineer rather than an independent fisherman.

History

Garden Island and early life

A biographical feature the Beacon published alongside his obituary, “Big Art,” gives Larsen’s origin in more detail than the obituary itself: he was born to Egedius and Christina Larsen in the family’s homestead cabin on Garden Island, where their closest neighbors were “Uncle Pete Jensen” and his several sons.1 Garden Island then supported “a busy little Community” with its own school, church, post office, and store, dotted with homesteads and the net sheds of commercial fishermen; the family moved to Beaver Island in 1906 and built a new home on the St. James harbor.1 Larsen began fishing with his father at an early age and, as he grew “head and shoulders over most men,” was “dubbed ‘Big Art.’”1 His mother died in 1913 and his father in 1923; both are buried on Garden Island.1 He married Sybil Tilley of Beaver Island in Charlevoix in 1918.1 A Garden Island cousin, fisherman Matt Jensen — almost certainly one of “Uncle Pete Jensen’s” sons — died in 1962, his body found near his grounded fish tug the Capt. Edward off Manistique.2

From fisherman to engineer

Fishing remained good, the feature says, “until the terrible storm of Armistice Day in 1940,” in which Larsen lost nearly $7,000 in nets and his diesel tug Estonia broke her moorings and went aground.1 Calling it “the turning point in Great Lakes fishing,” the Beacon says Larsen afterward “sailed as Diesel Engineer on boats plying the northern waters, such as the White Swan and the North Shore,” and that “being an ingenious mechanic,” he “could make a diesel run on soft coal if he had to.”1 He nonetheless kept fishing commercially in the years after the war: a November 1955 notice records him among a group of fishermen — with Mike and Roland Cull and Leo Chapman — selling about 2,500 pounds of perch to a visiting Saginaw buyer, Warren Ballard, at 7 cents a pound plus a 3-cent bonus, the earliest held record of Larsen fishing after the 1940 losses.3 A March 1958 notice reports Larsen netting large perch catches with Charley Martin and Jack Conaghan, flown to Naubinway, Michigan, for shipment to New York City.4 That September he chaired the Fishing committee for the Beaver Island Civic Association’s Dawn Patrol event.5 In 1961 he and Sybil donated an antique coffee mill, an iron kettle, and Coast Guard record books dating to 1883 — describing shipwrecks in and around Beaver Island — to the Historical Society’s period-kitchen display.6 That January their grandson, Arthur Souter, enlisted in the Navy and was assigned to the U.S.S. Galveston’s Medical Corps.7 A retrospective account in the September 1964 Beacon separately credits the Estonia as the first diesel-powered fishing outfit on the island.8 Fishing and its byproducts stayed part of his household even after he had returned to engine work: a June 1963 notice reports a heavy sucker run in the Jordan River keeping “the smoke houses of Art Larsen and Clarence Palmer busy for some time,” though it does not describe the operation’s scale.9

Illness and death

By December 1963 Larsen was hospitalized at Little Traverse Hospital for about a week, then traveled with Sybil to their daughter’s home in Holland, Michigan, before he entered University Hospital in Ann Arbor on December 3, 1963, for treatment — the likely start of the illness his June 1964 obituary describes as lasting a year.10 A January 1964 “Hospital Notes” item reported him still at Ann Arbor, gave his ward address as University Hospital, 7-West, and asked islanders to write.11 By February he had been released and was recuperating in Lansing, with a March 9 checkup planned before a visit to the Souters in Holland and a return to Beaver Island that spring.12 He did not make that return: Larsen died at Little Traverse Hospital on June 3, 1964, aged 66.13 The obituary lists his survivors as his wife, Sybil; a daughter, Mrs. Raymond (Doris) Souter of Holland; a sister, Mrs. Christina Gowman of St. Clair Shores; and three grandchildren.13 Funeral services were held June 6 with Rev. Charles Stoppels officiating, and burial followed in St. James Township Cemetery.13 The family’s July “Card of Thanks” identified Rev. Stoppels as pastor of the Reformed Church of Charlevoix and thanked Dick LaFreniere for taking charge of arrangements on the island.14 Sybil remained on Beaver Island afterward; a December 1964 notice lists “Mrs. Art Larsen” among islanders leaving for the winter.15 The last mention of the family found in the corpus searched for this article is an October 1966 death notice for John Christensen of Marquette, son of a former Garden Island resident, described as “a cousin of the late Art Larsen.”16

Evidence and limits

This record reconciles the full name “Martin Arthur Larsen” in the obituary with “Arthur Larsen,” “Art Larsen,” and “Big Art” in the local retrospective accounts, and with the OCR spelling variants “Art Larson”/“Art Lonsen” across several issues. No second person named Arthur or Art Larsen appears anywhere in the corpus searched for this article; the Beacon’s own account attributes the “Big Art” nickname to his height, not to distinguishing him from another Larsen, though contemporaries named Art Johnston and Art McCafferty (unrelated by surname) also recur in the same decades. The sources establish his connection to the Estonia and the 1940 storm, but not the tug’s registry, a complete fishing career, or a complete family record.

Open questions

  • Can a civil, church, or cemetery record document Larsen’s full family and burial details?
  • What registry or local records identify the Estonia and document its later history?
  • What years did Larsen work as a diesel engineer on the White Swan and North Shore, and for what companies?

See also

Footnotes

  1. Beaver Beacon, June 1964, “Big Art.” ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  2. Beaver Beacon, August 1962, death of Matt Jensen. ↩

  3. Beaver Beacon, November 1955, “Fish Facts.” ↩

  4. Beaver Beacon, March 1958, “Commercial Perch Fishermen.” ↩

  5. Beaver Beacon, September 1958, “Civic Association Board.” ↩

  6. Beaver Beacon, September 1961, Historical Society donations. ↩

  7. Beaver Beacon, January 1961, “Servicemen’s News.” ↩

  8. Beaver Beacon, September 1964, “Beaver Island Memories.” ↩

  9. Beaver Beacon, June 1963, “Smelt Run?” ↩

  10. Beaver Beacon, December 1963, hospital notes. ↩

  11. Beaver Beacon, January 1964, “Hospital Notes.” ↩

  12. Beaver Beacon, February 1964, hospital update. ↩

  13. Beaver Beacon, June 1964, “Obituaries: Martin Arthur Larsen.” ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  14. Beaver Beacon, July 1964, “Card of Thanks.” ↩

  15. Beaver Beacon, December 1964, “Off and On.” ↩

  16. Beaver Beacon, November 1966, “John Christensen.” ↩

The dated record

3 dated events · 1898–1964These years on the timeline →

Sources

  1. Gives the January 30, 1898 birth on Garden Island, 1906 move to Beaver Island, fishing with his father, 1918 marriage to Sybil Tilley, 1940 storm losses, June 3 death, and June 6 burial wording.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1964-06_Beaver-Beacon
  2. The held five-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1964-06_Beaver-Beacon
  3. Names “Big Art” Larsen as the skipper of the Estonia during the November 11, 1940 storm account.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1968-11_Beaver-Beacon
  4. The held seven-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1968-11_Beaver-Beacon
  5. Identifies Big Art Larsen’s Estonia as the first diesel-powered outfit on the Island in Helen Hoffman Collar’s retrospective harbor account.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1964-09_Beaver-Beacon
  6. The held eight-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1964-09_Beaver-Beacon
  7. Names Art Larsen as a lifelong Garden and Beaver Island resident who could not recall an almost complete disappearance of the perch run. The article does not independently expand his full identity.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1961-10_Beaver-Beacon
  8. The held five-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1961-10_Beaver-Beacon
  9. Reports Art Larsen, Charley Martin, and Jack Conaghan netting large catches of perch, flown by Don Hansen of Lakeview to Naubinway for shipment to New York City — evidence Larsen returned to commercial fishing after the 1940 storm losses his obituary describes. 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 · 1958-03_Beaver-Beacon
  10. Names "Art Larson" as Fishing committee chairman for the Beaver Island Civic Association's Dawn Patrol event, among a full slate of committee chairs under general chairman Dr. J. P. Ludwick. 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 · 1958-09_Beaver-Beacon
  11. Reports Arthur Souter, "grandson of Mr. & Mrs. Art Larson," enlisting in the Navy and being assigned to the U.S.S. Galveston Medical Corps — the source for Larsen's grandson, consistent with daughter Doris Souter named in the 1964 obituary.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1961-01_Beaver-Beacon
  12. Reports "Mr. and Mrs. Art Larson" donating an old wooden coffee mill and an iron kettle to the Historical Society's "old-fashioned kitchen," and Coast Guard record books from 1883 describing shipwrecks in and around Beaver Island.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1961-09_Beaver-Beacon
  13. Reports the death of fisherman Matt Jensen, born on Garden Island, and names "his cousin, Art Larsen, of St. James" among survivors — corroborating the Larsen family's Garden Island neighbors, the Jensens, described in the June 1964 "Big Art" feature.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1962-08_Beaver-Beacon
  14. Reports "Mr. Art Larsen" a patient at Little Traverse Hospital for about a week, then leaving with Sybil for Holland, Michigan (daughter Mrs. Ray Seuter's home), before Art entered University Hospital in Ann Arbor on December 3, 1963, for medical treatment — dating the onset of the illness the June 1964 obituary describes as lasting "a year."
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1963-12_Beaver-Beacon
  15. Reports Art Larsen among the fishermen — with Mike and Roland Cull and Leo Chapman — selling roughly 2,500 pounds of perch to visiting Saginaw buyer Warren Ballard at 7 cents a pound plus a 3-cent bonus. The earliest held record of Larsen fishing commercially after the 1940 storm losses described in his 1964 obituary. 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 · 1955-11_Beaver-Beacon
  16. Reports a heavy sucker run keeping "the smoke houses of Art Larsen and Clarence Palmer busy for some time." Does not describe the smoking operation's scale or customers.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1963-06_Beaver-Beacon
  17. Reports "Art Larsen is still in the hospital at Ann Arbor" and gives his mailing address as University Hospital, 7-West, inviting islanders to write.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1964-01_Beaver-Beacon
  18. Reports Larsen released from the Ann Arbor hospital, recuperating in Lansing, with a March 9 checkup planned before visiting the Souters in Holland and returning to Beaver Island in early spring. He died before that return.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1964-02_Beaver-Beacon
  19. Prints the Larsen family's thanks for condolences at "the passing on June 3rd, of Arthur Larsen," naming Rev. Charles Stoppels of the Reformed Church of Charlevoix and thanking Dick LaFreniere for taking charge of arrangements on the island. Signed by Mrs. Arthur Larsen and Mr. and Mrs. Ray Souter and family.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1964-07_Beaver-Beacon
  20. Lists "Mrs. Art Larsen" among islanders leaving for the winter, evidence Sybil Larsen remained resident on Beaver Island after her husband's death.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1964-12_Beaver-Beacon
  21. Reports the October 14, 1966 death of John Christensen, son of a former Garden Island resident, in Marquette, described as "a cousin of the late Art Larsen" — the last documented mention of the family found in the corpus searched for this article. 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 · 1966-11_Beaver-Beacon

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

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Martin Arthur “Big Art” Larsen”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/people/martin-arthur-big-art-larsen/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, June 1964, “Big Art” and “Obituaries: Martin Arthur Larsen.” (and 20 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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