- Born
- 1847
- Died
- 1941-11-16
- Work
- Coast Guard station keeper · Tug captain
- Member of
- Beaver Island Life-Saving Station
- Eras
- Irish eraModern era
- Concepts
- maritimeshippinglighthousesheritagecommunity
- Within
- Beaver Island
- Media
- Beaver Island History Map, 1978 revision
Summary
Owen “Big Owen” Gallagher (1847–1941) was keeper of the Beaver Island Life-Saving Station from 1887 to 1915. Clementine McCauley’s 1972 account names him as her father’s uncle and as captain and sole member of the station in December 1900. After Mary McDonough learned that the Squaw Island light had gone dark, Gallagher took a tug to inspect the closed station.1
The unusual “Big Owen” form, the station role, and the period all align with the Clarke Historical Library biographical file and the U.S. Coast Guard’s official station history. The death date is retained at day precision because the Clarke file transcribes the underlying death record.
He should not be confused with Owen F. McCauley, whom Helen Collar’s notes identify as the namesake of McCauley Point. Owen F.’s wife Catherine Gallagher was Big Owen Gallagher’s sister. The 1978 Historical Map’s phrase “Big Owen McCauley” appears to combine the point’s McCauley namesake with his brother-in-law’s nickname.
Open questions
- What was the name of the tug used to inspect Squaw Island?
See also
Footnotes
-
Clementine McCauley letter reprinted in Beaver Beacon, January 1972, “Squaw Island Story, Part II.” ↩
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Sources
- Clementine McCauley says Owen Gallagher was her father’s uncle, captain and sole member of the Beaver Island Coast Guard Station, and the person who took a tug to inspect the closed Squaw Island light.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1972-01_Beaver-Beacon
- The held nine-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 · 1972-01_Beaver-Beacon
- George Scott, Scott's New Coast Pilot for the Lakes, 6th ed. (Detroit, 1902), p. 310.The station list names an Owen Gallagher as keeper of the Beaver Island station in 1902. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.local_documents · 1902_scott-new-coast-pilot-for-the-lakes-6ed
- The official station history says Owen Gallagher was appointed keeper on March 16, 1887 and left in 1915, independently corroborating the occupation and period in the 1900 account.
- The Owen “Big Owen” Gallagher entry identifies the station keeper, records 1847–November 16, 1941, and transcribes a death-record entry for retired Coast Guard officer Owen Gallagher.
Added 1 August 2026 · revised 7 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “Owen “Big Owen” Gallagher”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/people/owen-big-owen-gallagher/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, January 1972, “Squaw Island Story, Part II.” (and 4 further sources listed on the page).
Last revised 2026-08-07. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.
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