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Event

John Bonner farm and Beaver Island centennial-farm report, 1963

Also 1963 Beaver Island Centennial Farm · John Bonner farm continuity

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

Locator map: Beaver Island highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Took place at Beaver IslandLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
TypeEvent
Dates1857 – 1963
WithinBeaver Island
ErasModern era
On this page
Locator map: Beaver Island highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Took place at Beaver IslandLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
Event
Dates
1857 – 1963
Kind
Property transfer
Where
Beaver Island
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
heritageagricultureland-survey
Within
Beaver Island

Summary

The September 1963 Beaver Beacon presented a John Bonner farm as the only Charlevoix County Centennial Farm that year. Its account says Bonner purchased 80 acres on Beaver Island in 1857 for $200, established a residence and farm, and that descendants continued to live on and use the land.

Evidence and limits

This is a newspaper historical account, not a deed chain or official farm designation file. The precise parcel, title continuity, and the source’s calculation of the centennial period remain unverified.

Open questions

  • Can deeds, agricultural registers, or the Michigan Centennial Farm program identify and locate the farm?

Sources

  1. Reports that John Bonner purchased 80 acres on Beaver Island in 1857 for $200, that the land was farmed by his family, and that the Bonner family's continuing residence and use made it the county's only Centennial Farm that year; the article does not supply a deed or official designation record.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1963-09_Beaver-Beacon
  2. 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 · 1963-09_Beaver-Beacon

Added 2 August 2026 · revised 3 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “John Bonner farm and Beaver Island centennial-farm report, 1963”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/beaver-island-centennial-farm-john-bonner-1963/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, September 1963, “Centennial Farm.” (and 1 further source 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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