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Vessel

Emerald Isle

Also Emerald Isle

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

Locator map: Saint James Harbor highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Home port: Saint James HarborLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
TypeVessel
Dates1955-04-21
ErasModern era
On this page
Locator map: Saint James Harbor highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Home port: Saint James HarborLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
Vessel
Dates
1955-04-21
Operator
Beaver Island Boat Company
Home port
Saint James Harbor
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
maritimeshippingtourismcommunity

Summary

The Emerald Isle was a ferry operated by the Beaver Island Boat Company between Charlevoix and Beaver Island, Michigan, from 1955 into 1962. Built at the Christy Corporation shipyard in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, she reached Saint James Harbor on April 21, 1955, and was christened there on April 23 by Margaret “Aunt Maggie” Boyle. The Beaver Beacon records her carrying the island’s mail, passengers, and freight on a seasonal Charlevoix run through the late 1950s, licensed by 1962 for 113 passengers and eight cars. That year the Boat Company reported two unreconciled plans for her future (a lease to the Straits Transit Company and a sale to Arnold Transit Lines), coinciding with delivery of the larger Beaver Islander. By July 1973 she was in Arnold Line ownership at Mackinac Island and returned briefly to the Beaver Island run that month under charter. No later record has been found.

History

In April 1955 the Beaver Island Boat Company announced that a new ferry, the Emerald Isle, was expected from the Christy Corporation shipyard at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, on April 16, with company president Henry C. Allen planning a christening ceremony. The advance notice named the intended crew: Captain Mark Gross, manager Bob Miller, and crewman Dave Miller.1

The ferry actually reached Saint James Harbor before 9:30 a.m. on April 21, after islanders had watched through the night for word she had passed Beaver Head Light. She made her maiden voyage to Charlevoix that same afternoon in two hours and forty minutes, met by the Charlevoix High School Band.2 The public christening followed on April 23 at Saint James: Margaret “Aunt Maggie” Boyle, then 90 and described as the island’s oldest island-born resident, performed the christening with a bottle supplied from Dublin by the Petoskey Chamber of Commerce, and Allen conducted the ceremony before Boat Company board members Lloyd McDonough, Dr. Harry F. Vail, Karl J. Erber, and Theodore Hine; Commander Cronan, the U.S. Coast Guard’s officer in charge of marine inspection, was introduced separately, along with reporters from three mainland papers.2 This account names the captain “Mark Cross,” differing from the April notice’s “Mark Gross”; the held record does not resolve which spelling is correct.

A January 1956 report describes her final 1955 crossing: breaking ice the whole way into a frozen harbor on December 30 with, among other cargo, 1,200 loaves of bread aboard, after which navigation was considered closed until April.3 The same report’s headline names her propulsion type, though the held OCR renders the word as “Lotorship,” almost certainly a scan of “Motorship.” That pattern of seasonal layup and reopening recurs through the held record: a January 1957 issue describes a weather-delayed final trip reaching the island “slightly iced” on New Year’s Day, and in both years Joe McPhillips Flying Service carried mail from Charlevoix during the closure.4 In 1960 the ferry returned to the Beaver Island run on April 7, went to Sturgeon Bay for painting and inspection, and was announced for daily May sailings except Sundays;5 a winter schedule of three round trips a week, weather permitting, began that December.6

Beyond the scheduled run, the Emerald Isle carried chartered groups: ninety Charlevoix County 4-H children on a July 1960 round trip,7 and 52 Michigan Republican Party members on a pleasure cruise in June 1961.8 That same June, six U.S. Naval Reserve boats anchored overnight in the harbor; the Beacon criticized unnamed sailors ashore for smashing the municipal dock lights and dropping the Emerald Isle’s moorings, letting her break loose.8 By 1962 the Boat Company described her as licensed for 113 passengers and eight cars, figures published while the company was promoting a larger replacement.9

The ferry made her last trip of 1961 on December 29; the Beacon’s account, headlined “Goodbye, Dear Old Girl,” describes her sounding a farewell blast on the foghorn as she left for winter mooring in Charlevoix, answered from Dick LaFreniere’s store on shore.10 The following spring, with a larger vessel later named the Beaver Islander under construction at Sturgeon Bay, the company reported two different, unreconciled plans for her future: an April 1962 notice described negotiations to lease the Emerald Isle to the Straits Transit Company for a Mackinaw City–Mackinac Island run,11 while the following month’s issue instead announced a $68,000 conditional sale to Arnold Transit Lines for the Mackinac Island run, to take effect once the Beaver Islander was delivered. That May 1962 issue also reported the Emerald Isle finally rounding Whiskey Point on April 18 after an eighteen-day delay that had emptied store shelves of beer and liquor.12

By July 1973 the Emerald Isle was in Arnold Line ownership, based at Mackinac Island. When the Beaver Islander was laid up a week with a broken clutch, the Beaver Island Boat Company chartered the former Emerald Isle back; Captain Russ Green flew to Mackinac Island and brought the smaller, slower ferry back onto the Charlevoix–Beaver Island run until repairs were finished.13 No source in the held corpus documents the vessel after that charter.

Significance

The held record documents the Emerald Isle as the Beaver Island Boat Company’s ferry across most of 1955 to 1962, the years for which Beacon coverage of the vessel is most complete. The Beacon treated her arrival and her seasonal departures as community events rather than only as transport notices: the 1955 christening drew coverage from three mainland papers and a Cadillac television station, and her last 1961 sailing was marked with a named foghorn farewell rather than a routine schedule line.

Evidence and limits

No held source gives the vessel’s official number, gross tonnage, length, beam, depth of hold, or hull material. The only capacity figures are the 1962 comparison’s 113 passengers and eight cars, published while the company promoted its planned replacement rather than drawn from a registry or inspection document. The captain is named as both “Mark Gross” and “Mark Cross” in different 1955 issues, and this article does not resolve which is correct. The 1962 record describes two different, unreconciled disposition plans (a lease to the Straits Transit Company and a sale to Arnold Transit Lines), and no held source establishes when either transaction closed or the exact date the Emerald Isle left Beaver Island Boat Company service. The 1973 charter confirms Arnold Line ownership by then but not the date or terms of the earlier transfer.

Open questions

  • What shipyard, Coast Guard, or company records give the Emerald Isle’s official number, tonnage, length, beam, and hull material?
  • Which 1962 plan governed the vessel’s actual disposition, the Straits Transit lease or the Arnold Transit Lines sale, and when did it close?
  • Do company, registry, or newspaper records resolve the Gross/Cross captain spelling?
  • Did the rumored Petoskey–Beaver Island run for the Emerald Isle ever operate?
  • What happened to the vessel after her July 1973 charter return to Beaver Island service?

See also

Footnotes

  1. Beaver Beacon, April 1955, “Day of the Month for April Is Boat Day”. ↩

  2. Beaver Beacon, May 1955, “The Emerald Isle”. ↩ ↩2

  3. Beaver Beacon, January 1956, “THE LOTORSHIP EMERALD ISLE”. ↩

  4. Beaver Beacon, January 1957, “Last Boat”. ↩

  5. Beaver Beacon, May 1960, “Our Pride and Joy”. ↩

  6. Beaver Beacon, December 1960, “Summer Is Over — definitely”. ↩

  7. Beaver Beacon, July 1960, 4-H excursion notice. ↩

  8. Beaver Beacon, July 1961, “Republicans Invade This Democratic Stronghold” and “Over-Enthusiasm”. ↩ ↩2

  9. Beaver Beacon, February 1962, “Beaver Island Boat Company”. ↩

  10. Beaver Beacon, January 1962, “Goodbye, Dear Old Girl”. ↩

  11. Beaver Beacon, April 1962, “Beaver Island Boat Company”. ↩

  12. Beaver Beacon, May 1962, “Better Late Than Never”. ↩

  13. Beaver Beacon, July 1973, “Emerald Isle Returns”. ↩

Sources

  1. A community discussion marked the ninth anniversary of the later Emerald Isle's maiden voyage from Beaver Island to Charlevoix and asserted that the vessel was the first hull built specifically for the new Beaver Island Boat Company. It also reports that the earlier Emerald Isle retained its name until 1991 and made two later relief appearances. These are participant recollections; vessel registers, company records, or port logs would be stronger for identity and service chronology.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 00 · t000801
  2. Announces the new Emerald Isle’s planned April 16 delivery from the Christy Corporation at Sturgeon Bay and gives the planned captain, manager, and crewman.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1955-04_Beaver-Beacon
  3. The held four-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 · 1955-04_Beaver-Beacon
  4. Held raw issue OCR preserves the advance delivery and crew announcement independently.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1955-04_Beaver-Beacon
  5. Reports the ferry’s April 21 arrival at Beaver Island, maiden voyage to Charlevoix, April 23 christening, and the Boat Company’s public reception.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1955-05_Beaver-Beacon
  6. The held four-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 · 1955-05_Beaver-Beacon
  7. Held raw issue OCR preserves the arrival, maiden voyage, and christening account independently.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1955-05_Beaver-Beacon
  8. Reports the former ferry returning temporarily to Beaver Island service under an Arnold Line charter while the Beaver Islander was repaired; it does not establish later ownership or disposition.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1973-07_Beaver-Beacon
  9. A community post reported that the original Emerald Isle was for sale after 30 years of service in Detroit. The archived attachment is unavailable, and the post supplies no seller, sale date, vessel registry, or independent service history; it is retained as a lead for the vessel’s later history rather than as proof of disposition.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 16 · t016715
  10. The held eleven-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 · 1973-07_Beaver-Beacon
  11. Reports the Emerald Isle’s first 1960 island trip, April 7 return to Charlevoix, subsequent Sturgeon Bay painting and inspection, and announced daily May service except Sundays. It does not provide a vessel log or inspection certificate.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1960-05_Beaver-Beacon
  12. The held three-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 · 1960-05_Beaver-Beacon
  13. Reports 90 Charlevoix County 4-H children making a July 7 round trip on the Emerald Isle; it does not provide a passenger list or route details.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1960-07_Beaver-Beacon
  14. The held three-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 · 1960-07_Beaver-Beacon
  15. Announces the Emerald Isle winter schedule beginning December 1, with three weekly Beaver Island–Charlevoix departures weather permitting. It does not provide a sailing log or fare schedule.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1960-12_Beaver-Beacon
  16. 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 · 1960-12_Beaver-Beacon
  17. Reports the Emerald Isle's final December 30 trip and winter layup in Charlevoix. It does not provide a return date or complete sailing log.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1961-01_Beaver-Beacon
  18. 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 · 1961-01_Beaver-Beacon
  19. Reports Emerald Isle arriving around Whiskey Point on April 18 after an 18-day delay and announces its sale to Arnold Transit Lines for $68,000, conditional on delivery of the Beaver Islander, for the Mackinac Island run. It does not establish a signed closing, transfer date, or later operation.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1962-05_Beaver-Beacon
  20. The held six-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 · 1962-05_Beaver-Beacon
  21. Reports the vessel's December 30, 1955 final trip breaking ice into a frozen harbor carrying "a capacity load of provisions" including 1,200 loaves of bread, states navigation was considered closed until April 1, and reports Joe McPhillips Flying Service beginning to carry the mail the first week of January. The headline's propulsion-type word is rendered "LOTORSHIP" in the OCR; this is treated as a likely single-character scan error for "MOTORSHIP" rather than a verified reading. 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 · 1956-01_Beaver-Beacon
  22. The held issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice; it does not expand the vessel or seasonal-service record.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1956-01_Beaver-Beacon
  23. Reports that the ferry’s trip scheduled for December 30, 1956 was delayed by bad weather, that she left the dock the early afternoon of New Year’s Day, and docked on the Island around 12:15 p.m. January 1, "slightly iced"; says the winter mail contract began with Joe McPhillips Flying Service. 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 · 1957-01_Beaver-Beacon
  24. The held issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice; it does not expand the vessel or seasonal-service record.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1957-01_Beaver-Beacon
  25. Reports the Emerald Isle carrying 52 Michigan Republican Party members under chairman George Van Puerson on a June 23 pleasure cruise, departing Charlevoix 10:30 a.m. and returning 6:30 p.m.; separately reports six U.S. Naval Reserve boats anchoring in Beaver Harbor on June 15 and criticizes unnamed sailors for smashing municipal dock lights and dropping the Emerald Isle’s moorings, letting her break loose. Neither report supplies a passenger roster, repair cost, or official incident record.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1961-07_Beaver-Beacon
  26. The held issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms both published reports.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1961-07_Beaver-Beacon
  27. Reports the Emerald Isle’s last trip of the year on December 29, 1961, sounding a farewell blast on her foghorn answered from Dick LaFreniere’s store as she left for winter mooring in Charlevoix; says mail, passengers, and supplies would move via McPhillip’s Flying Service until the April reopening. A first-person, editorial-voice community account, not a ship’s log.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1962-01_Beaver-Beacon
  28. The held issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published account.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1962-01_Beaver-Beacon
  29. Announces the Boat Company would open bids February 10 for a new, larger ferry designed by naval architect Hartell of Sturgeon Bay, and states the new boat would carry "150 passengers instead of 113 permitted on the EMERALD ISLE and carry 12 cars instead of 8." Says no decision had been made on the Emerald Isle’s continued use, and that a Petoskey–Beaver Island run had been rumored. This is the only held source giving the Emerald Isle’s licensed passenger and vehicle capacity, cited in the course of promoting her proposed replacement, not from a registry document.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1962-02_Beaver-Beacon
  30. The held issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1962-02_Beaver-Beacon
  31. Reports that the Boat Company announced negotiations under way to lease the Emerald Isle to the Straits Transit Company, to run between Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island. It does not establish that a lease was signed, and the following month’s issue instead reports a sale to a different company (Arnold Transit Lines); the two reports are not reconciled in the held record.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1962-04_Beaver-Beacon
  32. The held issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1962-04_Beaver-Beacon

Added 1 August 2026 · revised 4 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Emerald Isle”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/vessels/emerald-isle-1955/, accessed [date], citing South Shore and participants, “M/V Emerald Isle anniversary,” Beaver Island Forum, December 4–6, 2006. (and 31 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-04. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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