Beaver Island ArchiveA primary-source archive & encyclopedia45°40′N 85°33′W · Lake Michigan
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Reef

Richards Reef

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

Locator map: Richards Reef highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Locator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
TypeReef
Coordinates45.5625° N, 85.7331° WGoogle MapsDownload KML
WithinBeaver Island archipelago
ErasModern era
On this page
Locator map: Richards Reef highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Locator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
ReefGNIS 635865
Coordinates
45.5625° N, 85.7331° WGoogle MapsDownload KML
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
maritimetoponymy
Within
Beaver Island archipelago

Summary

Richards Reef is a GNIS-named submerged feature in the Beaver Island archipelago. GNIS classifies feature 635865 as a “Bar,” while the official name is Richards Reef. The held record establishes the present official name and geographic classification but does not yet explain the name, define the reef’s navigational limits, or document its history.

Open questions

  • What charts and hydrographic surveys define Richards Reef’s extent and hazards?
  • Who or what gave the reef its name?

Sources

  1. GNIS feature 635865; feature class 'Bar'.
    federal · gnis · gnis_names

Added 28 July 2026 · revised 1 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Richards Reef”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/places/richards-reef/, accessed [date], citing U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System, Domestic Names (Michigan), retrieved 2026-07-28..

Last revised 2026-08-01. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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