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

Trout Island Shoal

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

Locator map: Trout Island Shoal highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Locator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
TypeReef
Coordinates45.7758° N, 85.7368° WGoogle MapsDownload KML
WithinBeaver Island archipelago
ErasModern era
On this page
Locator map: Trout Island Shoal highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Locator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
ReefGNIS 1625107
Coordinates
45.7758° N, 85.7368° WGoogle MapsDownload KML
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
maritimeenvironment
Within
Beaver Island archipelago

Summary

Trout Island Shoal is an offshore feature near Trout Island in the Beaver Island archipelago. GNIS classifies feature 1625107 as a “Bar,” while its official name uses “Shoal”; the knowledge base retains the seeded Reef type as the closest existing navigation-hazard class and records the classification difference. A 2001 SHOALS airborne-lidar survey, published through USGS Open- File Report 03-120, provides a dedicated bathymetric dataset for Trout Island and Shoal and describes its use in habitat studies. It is a technical survey, not a historical account of the name or a substitute for a nautical chart.

Open questions

  • What depths and contours in the archived raster define the shoal’s navigational significance?
  • Why does GNIS use the feature class “Bar” while the official name uses “Shoal”?
  • Are there historical wreck, fishing, or Coast Guard records tied specifically to this feature?

Sources

  1. GNIS feature 1625107; feature class 'Bar'.
    federal · gnis · gnis_names
  2. Described in this archive: Northern Lake Michigan reef and coastal bathymetry, USGS OFR 03-120.
    Metadata describes completed SHOALS airborne lidar bathymetry for Trout Island and Shoal, with a 2001 ground-condition date, approximately ±3 m horizontal and ±15 cm vertical accuracy, and a survey area spanning 45.750–45.790 N and 85.757–85.667 W.
    federal · noaa_bathymetry · usgs_ofr_2003_120 · metadata · troutgrd

Added 28 July 2026 · revised 2 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Trout Island Shoal”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/places/trout-island-shoal/, accessed [date], citing U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System, Domestic Names (Michigan), retrieved 2026-07-28. (and 1 further source listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-02. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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