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Beaver Island Airport

Also Beaver Island Townships Airport · Township Airport · St. James Township Airport · Welke Airport

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

Locator map: Beaver Island highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Within Beaver IslandLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
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Locator map: Beaver Island highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Within Beaver IslandLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
Structure
Coordinates
45.6937° N, 85.5665° WGoogle MapsDownload KML
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Beaver Island History Map, 1978 revision

Summary

Beaver Island Airport is a general-aviation airfield on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan, owned jointly by St. James and Peaine Townships. The earliest known flights to the island, in 1923 and 1926, landed on harbor ice, not a dedicated field; a 1933 winter-mail report records a takeoff from Beaver Island without identifying the surface, and by June 1951 the field definitely had two graded runways and scheduled service to Charlevoix. The townships and the Civic Association expanded it over the following decades, replacing turf runways with a paved one financed by 1976 bonds and a state loan. From 1974 the airport was the base for the island’s medical-evacuation aircraft, “The Beaver,” and it has hosted an annual Fly-In since that year, a fatal 1985 crash that killed seven, and, into 2026, rehabilitation by a joint Airport Commission. It has been called the “Beaver Island Townships Airport,” “Township Airport,” and “Welke Airport” at different points, without one source establishing an official name.

History

The earliest known flights to Beaver Island landed on harbor ice, not a dedicated field. In February 1923 an Army plane carried a lieutenant, a mechanic, and a doctor from Selfridge Field, via Charlevoix, to treat an injured logger.1 In April 1926, after ice cut the winter mail link to Cross Village for two months, the Post Office sent a plane from Chicago; pilot Joe Donnelan and mechanic Alvin Yeider landed on the harbor ice with 400 pounds of mail.2 The Beaver Island Air Service reportedly bought a seaplane the next month, seeking its own mail contract with no established outcome.3

The winter of 1932-33 supplies the earliest held evidence of regular island air-mail service, when the Post Office awarded the contract to Karl (also printed Harl) R. Schneider of Detroit, the lowest of eight bidders, at $48 a week.4 In February 1933 Schneider blew a tire taking off “from Beaver Island” and made what the Sentinel called a skillful emergency landing at Charlevoix; the notice does not say whether the island takeoff was from land or ice.5 By June 1951 the Herald definitely described a developed airport five miles south of St. James: two runways of 3,500 and 2,500 feet, resodded strips, cleared approaches, a wind-indicator tower, and scheduled and private-plane service to Charlevoix.6 In 1955 the Civic Association denied an unauthorized report that a “Jet Air Base” was planned; none was built.7

The 1978 Historical Map says pinery stumps were pulled “about 1940” to make a landing field. That is compatible with the gap between the ambiguous 1933 takeoff and the developed 1951 airport, but no circa-1940 primary construction account has been located. The date, labor, and continuity of footprint remain unconfirmed.

The townships and Civic Association funded routine upkeep through the 1950s-60s: $500 each, matched by the State, for 1958 spring improvements;8 by 1962 Karl Kuebler, largely unpaid, had cleared the parking area, rebuilt the access road, widened the north-south runway, and registered nearly 400 planes that year;9 in 1968 more trees were cleared for a land-sales company’s DC-6.10 The field also anchored the annual Dawn Patrol fly-in; in July 1961 the fire truck stationed there was called into St. James to fight a Parish Hall kitchen fire.11 A blizzard in January 1971 plugged the airport with snow, delaying supplies for nearly a week;12 that month a 15-member Flying Club began meeting weekly under licensed instructor Bill Welke, and some members flew in his plane.13

By 1974 the townships were working with the State Aeronautics Commission on improvements.14 St. James Township Supervisor Jim Janda located a surplus de Havilland Beaver aircraft for medical evacuation, over a charter service’s objection, after five prior-year emergencies had required Coast Guard helicopter rescue.15 Seven rules, signed by both townships’ clerks, restricted it chiefly to no-fee medical evacuation.16 “The Beaver” flew its first two evacuations within a week that June: Mrs. Lillian Gallagher for a nasal hemorrhage on June 18, and the Rev. Chester Meengs after a stroke on June 24, who died July 6.1718 Two more evacuations followed in August.19 A hangar built by volunteers under airport manager Robert Gillespie, funded partly by a $4,000 lottery pledge from Ed and Connie Wogan, broke ground that November; the aircraft moved in on February 16, 1975.2021

The airport hosted the first Fly-In since 1959 that October, drawing about 100 planes and 450 visitors.22 In May 1975 Welke Aviation, Inc., led by chief pilot William Welke, received an FAA operating certificate, basing its service at what the Beacon called “the Welke Airport on the Island.”23 Fly-Ins continued – 210 planes in 1975, 150 in 1976.2425 In 1976 a $27,000 bond issue plus a state loan underwrote a $160,000 paved runway, apron, and taxiway project, replacing turf strips; the Beacon described the airport as jointly owned, “located in Peaine township.”26 That August the freighter Joseph S. Young delivered 8,500 tons of crushed limestone for the new runway.27

Through the 1980s the airport saw a rare business-jet landing in July 1983,28 a Fire Department Fly-In that October drawing over 250 planes,29 and a June search for an “overdue” pilot found safe on Bois Blanc Island near Mackinac instead.30 St. James Township asked the state to install an instrument approach.31 A pre-Christmas 1983 closure stranded travelers in Charlevoix until flights resumed on Christmas Day.32 On April 19, 1985, a plane carrying seven people from Holland, Michigan crashed into trees south of the airport approaching to land, killing all aboard; the cause was not established, and the Sheriff commended the volunteer Fire Department’s response.33

By 2025-26 the field was governed by a joint Airport Commission, formed under an interlocal agreement, with the townships sharing costs equally.34 A pavement-marking contract was approved in May 2025 and rehabilitation went to bid that June;35 in January 2026 Peaine Township approved a $100,000 state loan, repayable over ten years, to rehabilitate Runway 9-27 pavement, taxiway pavement, and runway lighting.36

Names

No held source gives the field one official name. Beaver Beacon reports of the 1970s call it the “Beaver Island Townships Airport,” later shortened to “Township Airport.” A 1975 notice calls it the “St. James Township Airport,” while a 1976 bond report places it “in Peaine township” – unreconciled here. From 1975, Welke Aviation and Island Airways advertising name the field the “Welke Airport”; a 1983 note that the firm added “a new pole barn & waiting room to Welke’s Airport” describes an addition, not necessarily a second field. The 1955 “Jet Air Base” was a denied rumor, never adopted. By 2026 the runway carried the designation Runway 9-27.

Evidence and limits

The airport is documented as jointly owned by St. James and Peaine Townships from at least 1976 through the 2026 Airport Commission resolution. No held historical source supplies a founding date, legal establishment record, or historical runway boundary; current OSM and county parcel data provide the approximate present-day locator and GNIS association. The 1923 and 1926 flights used harbor ice; the 1932-33 mail service does not identify its Beaver Island takeoff surface; and whether either relates to the definite 1951 airport site is not established. Runway figures are inconsistent across decades (3,500/2,500 feet in 1951; 3,500/2,800 in 1976; a planned 3,000-foot runway in the 1976 bond report; “Runway 9-27” in 2026), unreconciled by any source. The 1985 crash’s cause is not established.

Open questions

  • What is the airport’s formal founding date and first legal establishment by the townships?
  • Is the field used for the 1932-33 winter mail service the same site described in 1951?
  • Was the 1975 description of a “St. James Township Airport” an error, or did responsibility shift between the townships?
  • What became of “The Beaver” emergency aircraft, and when did the aircraft program end?
  • Is “Runway 9-27” the same runway financed by the 1976 bond issue, and what is its current length?
  • What caused the April 19, 1985 crash?

See also

Footnotes

  1. Charlevoix County Herald, February 9, 1923, “Army Plane Comes North.” ↩

  2. Beaver Beacon, November 1963, “Beaver Tales: April, 1926.” ↩

  3. Charlevoix County Herald, May 21, 1926, “State News in Brief.” ↩

  4. Charlevoix Sentinel, December 15, 1932, “Mail Service to Beaver Island Let to Schneider.” ↩

  5. Charlevoix Sentinel, February 9, 1933, “Pilot Schneider Shows His Skill in Landing Wednesday.” ↩

  6. Charlevoix County Herald, June 8, 1951, “Beaver Island Airport Being Improved To Modernize It.” ↩

  7. Beaver Beacon, June 1955, “Beaver Island Screams Denial!” ↩

  8. Beaver Beacon, March 1958, “BICA BOARD.” ↩

  9. Beaver Beacon, November 1962, “Airport Developement.” ↩

  10. Beaver Beacon, May-June 1968, “Season Opener’s.” ↩

  11. Beaver Beacon, July 1961, “Warm Reception for Dawn Patrol Pilots.” ↩

  12. Beaver Beacon, January 1971, “Snow Flys.” ↩

  13. Beaver Beacon, January 1971, “Beaver Island Kids Start Flying Club.” ↩

  14. Beaver Beacon, January 1974, “Meeting Time.” ↩

  15. Beaver Beacon, February 1974, “Emergency Island Plane.” ↩

  16. Beaver Beacon, March 1974, “Emergency Plane On Way” and “Rules For Operation of U6A Beaver Aircraft.” ↩

  17. Beaver Beacon, May-June 1974, “Makes First ‘Evacuation’ and Then Second Within One Week.” ↩

  18. Beaver Beacon, July 1974, “Dear Island Friends.” ↩

  19. Beaver Beacon, August 1974, “Emergency Plane Makes Two Flights.” ↩

  20. Beaver Beacon, December 1974, “New Hanger.” ↩

  21. Beaver Beacon, February 1975, “Hanger Completed.” ↩

  22. Beaver Beacon, November 1974, “Beaver Island Fly-In.” ↩

  23. Beaver Beacon, May-June 1975, “New Air Service Links Beaver Island, Mainland.” ↩

  24. Beaver Beacon, October 1975, “Beaver Island Fly-In.” ↩

  25. Beaver Beacon, October 1976, “Fly-In.” ↩

  26. Beaver Beacon, May-June 1976, “Beaver Island Opens Airport Bids.” ↩

  27. Beaver Beacon, August 1976, “King Sized Visitor.” ↩

  28. Beaver Beacon, August 1983, “Jet Lands at Township Airport.” ↩

  29. Beaver Beacon, November 1983, “Beaver Island Fire Dept.” ↩

  30. Beaver Beacon, August 1983, “Missing Airplane.” ↩

  31. Beaver Beacon, November 1983, St. James Township minutes. ↩

  32. Beaver Beacon, January 1984, “So Near Yet So Far.” ↩

  33. Beaver Beacon, May 1985, “Plane Crashes on Beaver Island.” ↩

  34. Peaine Township Board approved regular-meeting minutes, January 20, 2026, Resolution 01-2026. ↩

  35. St. James Township Board, approved regular-meeting minutes, May 14, 2025. ↩

  36. Peaine Township Board approved regular-meeting minutes, January 20, 2026, Resolution 01-2026. ↩

The dated record

35 dated events · 1933–2026 · peak 6 in 1974These years on the timeline →

Sources

  1. Current mapped airport/runway-area geometry used as an approximate representative point for the airport article; it is not a historical runway survey or a centroid of all airport facilities.
    osm · aeroway
  2. The snapshot identifies current public airport-related parcels including PINs 012-108-014-00, 012-108-017-00, 012-108-018-00, and 012-107-006-15, owned by Peaine and/or St. James Townships and described as airport or runway-area land. Their representative points support the current airport property association, but the facility spans multiple parcels and the records do not establish the historical 1932-76 boundary or runway footprint.
    county · charlevoix · parcels_arcgis · 2026-08-01 · island_parcel_attributes
  3. Charlevoix County Herald, February 9, 1923, "Army Plane Comes North."
    Reports an Army plane flying a doctor from Selfridge Field, via Charlevoix, across the ice to an injured Beaver Island logger. The flight landed on the ice, not at a described airfield. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    charlevoix · Charlevoix_County_Herald_1923-02-09
  4. Charlevoix County Herald, May 21, 1926, "State News in Brief."
    Reports the Beaver Island Air Service had acquired a 12-passenger seaplane, already owned two other aircraft, and hoped for a Post Office winter-mail contract; does not describe a landing field. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    charlevoix · Charlevoix_County_Herald_1926-05-21
  5. Retrospective on the first airplane to reach Beaver Island: pilot Joe Donnelan and mechanic Alvin Yeider flew mail from Chicago in April 1926 after the winter ice link to Cross Village broke; the plane landed on the harbor ice, not at a dedicated field. Gives the $30 one-way / $50 round-trip fare and the story of the mail horse "Jackie."
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1963-11_Beaver-Beacon
  6. Held scan pairs with the OCR source above.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1963-11_Beaver-Beacon
  7. Charlevoix Sentinel, December 15, 1932, "Mail Service to Beaver Island Let to Schneider."
    Reports Karl (also printed Harl) R. Schneider of Detroit awarded the 1932-33 winter air-mail contract, the lowest of eight bidders, at $48 a week. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    charlevoix · charlevoixsenti0501unse_0
  8. Charlevoix Sentinel, February 9, 1933, "Pilot Schneider Shows His Skill in Landing Wednesday."
    Reports Schneider lost a tire casing taking off from Beaver Island and made a skillful emergency landing at the Charlevoix airport without injury; the wording is the earliest held reference to a landing field on the island rather than harbor ice. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    charlevoix · charlevoixsenti0501unse_0
  9. Described in this archive: Beaver Island History Map, 1978 revision.
    Says pinery stumps were pulled about 1940 to make the landing field. A 1933 report establishes an island takeoff but does not say whether it used land or ice; a developed airport is definite by 1951. The circa-1940 clearing is therefore plausible but no primary construction record was located.
  10. Charlevoix County Herald, June 8, 1951, "Beaver Island Airport Being Improved To Modernize It."
    Reports two principal runways of 3,500 and 2,500 feet, 100-foot center strips resodded on both, cleared approaches, a new steel wind-indicator tower, telephone service to St. James, regular Charlevoix service, and private-plane use. It places the airport five miles south of St. James in the heart of the 16-mile-long island. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    charlevoix · Charlevoix_County_Herald_1951-06-08
  11. Held raw OCR independently preserves the airport-improvement report.
    charlevoix · issues · Charlevoix_County_Herald_1951-06-08 · Charlevoix_County_Herald_1951-06-08_djvu
  12. Reports the Civic Association publicly denying an unauthorized wire-service story that a "Jet Air Base" was planned for Beaver Island, stating no telegrams were sent and no township board or commerce committee was consulted; no such base was built. 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 · 1955-06_Beaver-Beacon
  13. Reports the Civic Association together with St. James and Peaine Townships each appropriated $500 (total $1,500), to be matched by the State, for airport improvements "scheduled for completion this spring." 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
  14. Reports the Fourth Annual Dawn Patrol, July 2, 1961, drew 78 pilots (versus 350 at the 1958 record); a fire broke out in the Parish Hall kitchen during the breakfast, and the fire truck, stationed at the airport for the event, was brought in to fight it.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1961-07_Beaver-Beacon
  15. An anecdote placing a coyote hunt "near the airport"; confirms the field as a landscape reference point but adds no operating detail.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1962-02_Beaver-Beacon
  16. Reports Karl Kuebler, working largely alone and unpaid, cleared woods around the parking area, built up the access road, and widened the north-south runway; he had registered nearly 400 planes that year and estimated he missed a similar number.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1962-11_Beaver-Beacon
  17. Reports more trees were removed from the runway ends to lengthen the approach so a DC-6 transport, used by a land-sales company to fly prospective buyers to the island, could land.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1968-05_Beaver-Beacon
  18. Reports formation of a 15-member teenage Beaver Island Flying Club, meeting weekly at the school under licensed flying instructor Bill Welke; some members flew in Welke's plane the weekend of January 16.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1971-01_Beaver-Beacon
  19. Reports that late-January drifting snow plugged the airport and delayed the delivery of supplies and mail for nearly a week.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1971-01_Beaver-Beacon
  20. Held scan pairs with both January 1971 OCR sources above.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1971-01_Beaver-Beacon
  21. Reports a January 3 joint township meeting with State Aeronautics Commission representatives to consider airport improvements.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1974-01_Beaver-Beacon
  22. Reports St. James Township Supervisor and former Chicago police pilot Jim Janda located a surplus aircraft for $1,600 including a year of insurance; the Charlevoix County Board of Commissioners approved $4,000 for the purchase over the objection of a local charter service, after five prior emergencies in twelve months had required Coast Guard helicopter evacuation.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1974-02_Beaver-Beacon
  23. Reports Janda flew the surplus de Havilland Beaver aircraft from Tucson, Arizona, to Fremont, Michigan for markings before island delivery, and prints seven numbered operating rules, signed by the St. James and Peaine township clerks, restricting the aircraft chiefly to no-fee medical evacuation, with search-and-rescue and paid sheriff/political-subdivision use as secondary purposes.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1974-03_Beaver-Beacon
  24. Records the airport-based aircraft's first two medical evacuations: pilots James Janda and William Wilke flew Mrs. John (Lillian) Gallagher to Harbor Springs Airport on June 18 for a nasal hemorrhage on Dr. Joseph Christie's order, and flew the Rev. Chester Meengs out on June 24 after a stroke.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1974-05_Beaver-Beacon
  25. Held eleven-page combined issue scan pairs with the OCR source.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1974-05_Beaver-Beacon
  26. A thank-you letter from the Meengs family, printed with his obituary in the same issue, confirms the Rev. Chester Meengs died July 6, 1974, at Little Traverse Hospital and thanks those who helped with "the use of the new plane." 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 · 1974-07_Beaver-Beacon
  27. Reports two further August flights (a choking case on August 4 and a broken hip on August 24) and prints Thomas H. Bussell's letter thanking the "Beaver Island Evacuation Service" for a flight that averted major cardiac-valve surgery.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1974-08_Beaver-Beacon
  28. Reports construction of a 62-by-40-foot hangar at the "Beaver Island Townships Airport" for "The Beaver," designed by Walt Wogan and Zack Gorganoff, built by volunteers under airport manager Robert Gillespie, with a $4,000 pledge from Ed and Connie Wogan's lottery winnings and the balance from the Beaver Island Airport Fund.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1974-12_Beaver-Beacon
  29. Held nine-page issue scan pairs with the OCR source.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1974-12_Beaver-Beacon
  30. Reports about 100 pilots and 450 visitors at the first Fly-In since 1959, held October 22, 1974, at the "Beaver Island Island Townships Airport," organized by Dr. John Ludwig, Bob Adams, and Airport Manager Robert Gillespie, who had already begun planning a 1975 Fly-In.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1974-11_Beaver-Beacon
  31. "The Beaver" moved into its completed hangar on February 16, 1975; credits Robert Gillespie with coordinating construction and acting as liaison to the Aeronautics Commission, and says three qualified pilots were available to fly the aircraft. 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 · 1975-02_Beaver-Beacon
  32. Reports Welke Aviation, Inc. received an FAA Air Taxi/Commercial Operator certificate; chief pilot William Welke and second pilot Paul Welke, with sons Mark and Carl also aviation-trained; states "the island base of the firm will be the Welke Airport on the Island." 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 · 1975-05_Beaver-Beacon
  33. Reports 210 planes logged at an October 5, 1975 Fly-In sponsored by the Civic Association "at the St. James Township Airport," organized with Robert Gillespie, Dr. John Ludwig, and Robert Adams. 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 · 1975-10_Beaver-Beacon
  34. Reports the Charlevoix County State Bank won a $27,000 general-obligation bond sale (6.0% for 10 years) by St. James and Peaine Townships, which "own and operate the island airport located in Peaine township," toward a $160,000 project (a $25,000 Michigan Aeronautics Commission loan and $80,000 in state matching funds made up the balance) for a 3,000-foot paved east-west runway, apron, and taxiway, replacing two turf runways of about 3,000 and 2,700 feet. 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 · 1976-05_Beaver-Beacon
  35. Reports the 579-foot self-unloading freighter Joseph S. Young delivered 8,500 tons of crushed limestone from Port Inland on August 10, 1976, for the new Township Airport runway, with the remainder used for island road improvements. 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 · 1976-08_Beaver-Beacon
  36. Reports Mrs. Sophia McDonough was flown from the Island on the "Emergency Plane" to Little Traverse Hospital after a stroke on August 27, 1976. 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 · 1976-08_Beaver-Beacon
  37. Advertises the October 3 Fly-In and records the airport's 3,500- and 2,800-foot runways, Unicom 122.8, limited overnight facilities, information booths, and an emergency air-evacuation plane on the field. 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 · 1976-09_Beaver-Beacon
  38. Reports 150 planes and about 500 whitefish dinners served at the October 3, 1976 Fly-In, with Jim Janda running the Unicom and Robert Gillespie credited for "well organized airport operation"; two minor accidents caused no serious injury. 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 · 1976-10_Beaver-Beacon
  39. Reports a Cessna Citation I business jet, "one of the few, if not the only jet ever to land on Beaver Island," landed at the Township Airport on July 9, 1983, carrying four passengers; pilot Edward Borowy said he was surprised to find a paved runway. 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 · 1983-08_Beaver-Beacon
  40. Reports "Island Airways added a new pole barn & waiting room to Welke's Airport to accommodate the new business" -- an addition of facilities, not evidence of a separate landing field. 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 · 1983-08_Beaver-Beacon
  41. Reports the Sheriff's deputy searched for an overdue aircraft on June 27, 1983, after the pilot radioed he was at "an unattended airport on Beaver Island"; he was later found safe on Bois Blanc Island near Mackinac. 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 · 1983-08_Beaver-Beacon
  42. Reports the Fire Department's October 9, 1983 Fly-In drew over 250 planes parked in double rows "along the grass run-ways at the Township Airport" and served 636 whitefish dinners; printed October 5, 1983 St. James Township minutes record a motion that the Board "will request the Dept. of Transportation, Aeronautics Commission to install an instrument approach for the Beaver Island Airport." 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 · 1983-11_Beaver-Beacon
  43. Reports the airport closed the Thursday before Christmas 1983 and did not reopen until Christmas Day, stranding islanders and relatives in Charlevoix, including one traveler from Barrow, Alaska; flights resumed about 11 a.m. on December 25. 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 · 1984-01_Beaver-Beacon
  44. Reports seven people from Holland, Michigan, died when their plane crashed into trees south of the Township airport on the evening of April 19, 1985, while approaching to land; the FAA and aircraft manufacturer investigated, and the cause was reported as not yet known. 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 · 1985-05_Beaver-Beacon
  45. Sheriff George T. Lasater commends the volunteer Beaver Island Fire Department's response to the April 1985 crash. 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 · 1985-06_Beaver-Beacon
  46. Resolution 01-2026 states the Beaver Island Airport Commission was formed by St. James and Peaine Townships under an interlocal agreement authorized by MCL 259.134 and that the townships share operating costs equally; approves a $100,000 Michigan Department of Transportation Office of Aeronautics loan, repayable over ten years, for rehabilitation of Runway 9-27 pavement, taxiway pavement, and Runway 9-27 lighting, guidance signs, and REILS.
    governance · township_meetings · peaine-board · 01-20-2026-board-of-trustees-regular-meeting-minutes-approved-6aba87bf7c
  47. Reports a Pavement Marking contract approved May 8, 2025, funded by Fiscal Recovery Funds, and an airport-rehabilitation pre-bid meeting on May 28, 2025 with bid letting set for June 6, 2025; the Township's share, at half of the Airport Commission's 2.5 percent match, was estimated at $64,850.
    governance · township_meetings · st-james-board · may-14-2025-approved-83c886c094
  48. The airport manager described the Township airport as having ample ramp and tie-down space, seven-day attendance, 24-hour self-service 100LL, and transportation by transit bus or delivered rental car. This is a first-party operational snapshot for July 2007 and should not be read as a current service specification.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 00 · t000925

Added 1 August 2026 · revised 6 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Beaver Island Airport”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/structures/beaver-island-airport/, accessed [date], citing OpenStreetMap, Beaver Island Airport feature, downloaded 2026-08-06. (and 47 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-06. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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