Summary
An October 1950 Charlevoix County Herald report described a strong perch run at St. James Harbor on Beaver Island. Archie Lafreniere, secretary of the Beaver Island Association of Commerce, reported that the run was the strongest in five years; one day’s catch totaled 1,750 pounds and included perch as large as 18 inches.[^game1950]
The report also announced that a bird-hunting season would open on Beaver Island for the first time in many years. Sharp-tail grouse had been introduced in recent years, while ruffed-grouse and pheasant shooting was prohibited for that season. Snowshoe rabbits were described as plentiful; cottontail rabbits had been introduced but remained closed to hunting.[^game1950]
The Conservation Department planned to observe the sharp-tail results and survey the population to inform the next season’s regulations. Warren Shapton, a game-division biologist from Lansing, was expected to visit during the season to study the progress of planted ruffed grouse.[^game1950]
The same account describes access from Charlevoix by the daily 9 a.m. Motorship North Shore ferry or by McPhillips flying service, with cars carried on the ferry, and identifies the Beaver Island Association of Commerce as a source for lodging reservations.[^game1950]
Evidence and limits
The event is dated to October 1950, the issue month. The report says the bird season would open on Sunday but does not supply a numeric opening date in the article; no exact season end, catch register, survey result, legal order, aircraft identity, or North Shore ownership is inferred. The source’s references to introduced sharp-tail and planted ruffed grouse are preserved as different statements rather than merged into one stocking history. The held 1941 and 1952 orders are legal records, not substitutes for the missing 1950 season notice, survey, or later outcome evidence.
Open questions
- What were the 1950 season dates and the regulations adopted for the following year?
- Can Michigan conservation records identify the sharp-tail and ruffed-grouse stocking programs and their outcomes?
- What full identities and records belong to Archie Lafreniere and Warren Shapton?
- Which operator owned or ran the North Shore in 1950, and what was the island landing site for the flights?
See also
- Beaver Island
- Saint James Harbor
- Archie Lafreniere (1950 Beaver Island fishing and hunting report)
- Warren Shapton (1950 Beaver Island grouse study)
- Beaver Island Association of Commerce (1950)
- Beaver Island Deer Hunting Reopened for the 1938 Season
- Michigan Conservation Commission Beaver Island Sharp-Tailed Grouse Closure Order (1941)
- Michigan Conservation Commission Beaver Island Cottontail Rabbit Closure Order (1952)
Sources
- Charlevoix County Herald, October 20, 1950, “Perch Fishing And Bird Hunting at its Peak on Beaver Island.”Reports a strong perch run at St. James Harbor, a one-day catch of 1,750 pounds and perch up to 18 inches, the first bird season in many years, introduced sharp-tail grouse and rabbits, planned conservation observation and survey, Warren Shapton’s visit, ferry and airplane access, and the Beaver Island Association of Commerce.
- Charlevoix County Herald, October 20, 1950, raw issue OCR.Held raw OCR preserves the same fishing, game-management, travel, and accommodation report independently.