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Event

Sundew breaks St. James Harbor ice, 1975

Also March 26 · 1975 Sundew icebreaking · 1975 spring harbor opening

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

Locator map: Saint James Harbor highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Took place at Saint James HarborLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
TypeEvent
Dates1975-03-26 – 1975-03-27
WithinSaint James Harbor
ErasModern era
On this page
Locator map: Saint James Harbor highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Took place at Saint James HarborLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
Event
Dates
1975-03-26 – 1975-03-27
Kind
Transportation
Where
Saint James Harbor
Participants
Russell J. “Russ” Green (freight_run_preparation)
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
maritimetransportationcommunicationcommunity
Within
Saint James Harbor

Summary

Shortly after noon on March 26, 1975, the Coast Guard icebreaker Sundew entered St. James Harbor, stayed overnight, and left the next morning. The Beacon reported that pack ice still extended outside the harbor, so the first ferry trip remained uncertain. A South Shore freight run was tentatively planned for March 27, and Captain Russ Green flew to the mainland to prepare.

Evidence and limits

This is a newspaper report of the harbor access situation and a tentative freight plan. It does not establish that the South Shore completed the run or that ferry service had opened generally.

Sources

  1. Reports the Coast Guard icebreaker Sundew breaking into St. James Harbor shortly after noon on March 26, staying overnight, and leaving the next morning. Pack ice remained outside the harbor; a South Shore freight run was tentatively planned for March 27, with Captain Russ Green flying to the mainland, but the ferry run was not yet assured. 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 · 1975-03_Beaver-Beacon
  2. The held issue confirms the icebreaking visit and conditional freight-plan report.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1975-03_Beaver-Beacon

Added 3 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Sundew breaks St. James Harbor ice, 1975”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/beaver-island-sundew-icebreaking-march-1975/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, March 1975, “Ice Breaking.” (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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