Summary
William H. Shields was keeper of Squaw Island Light when he and the rest of the light crew launched for Beaver Island on December 14, 1900. He survived the capsizing and was rescued with Owen McCauley on December 15, but suffered severe frostbite and later lost a leg.1
The later account says Shields was appointed keeper at the Charlevoix lighthouse depot after the accident, retired in April 1924, and died in September 1925. The exact civil dates and identity of his wife remain open.
Open questions
- What lighthouse-service and civil records document Shields’s appointment, injury, retirement, and death?
- What were his wife’s given name and family connections?
See also
- Squaw Island Light-Crew Tragedy (1900)
- Squaw Island Light Station
- Mrs. William H. Shields (1900 Squaw Island tragedy victim)
Footnotes
-
Held Beaver Beacon accounts of the December 14–15, 1900 Squaw Island light-crew tragedy. ↩
Sources
- Beaver Beacon, January 1965, “48 Years Ago Tragedy Struck Squaw Island Light Crew; Lone Survivor Tells Story.”Names William H. Shields as keeper, describes his survival and severe frostbite, and says he later served at the Charlevoix lighthouse depot.
- Beaver Beacon, December 1971, “Lone Survivor Tells Story.”Says Shields remained hospitalized for six months, lost a leg, served at Charlevoix until retirement in 1924, and died in September 1925.