Beaver Island ArchiveSearch

Lake

Font Lake

0

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

TypeLake
Coordinates45.7386° N, 85.5416° W
WithinBeaver Island
ErasModern era

Summary

Font Lake is a large inland lake in Beaver Island’s northern interior. The 2023 Beaver Island Master Plan estimates its area at approximately 382 acres, making it the Island’s second-largest lake. It describes homes on the northern half and much of the northern and western shorelines, a public boat launch at the north end associated with the Port of St. James Association, and viewing access at Peaine Township’s Font Lake Park on the south end.

The same plan describes Font Lake as shallow but supporting a fishery for yellow perch, rock bass, largemouth bass, and smallmouth bass, along with herpetofauna. The source documents present-day access and ecology; they do not establish when the shoreline development or either public access point began.

An 1853 John Farmer map already labels the lake Font L. This is early cartographic evidence for the name, not an explanation of its origin. The held GLO plat scans and the modern PLSS layers may allow a closer comparison of the historical label with the survey grid, but that comparison has not yet been completed.

Open questions

  • What surveys support the 382-acre estimate, and how has the lake’s shoreline changed over time?
  • When were the Font Lake boat launch and Font Lake Park established?
  • Which organization currently controls the Port of St. James shoreline and launch?
  • Does the T39N R10W GLO plat record the same lake under the name Font Lake or another form?

Sources

  1. U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System, Domestic Names (Michigan), retrieved 2026-07-28.
    GNIS feature 626212; feature class 'Lake'.
    federal · gnis · gnis_names
  2. Beaver Island Master Plan, 2023 update.
    Describes Font Lake as approximately 382 acres, the Island's second-largest lake, with homes around the north and west shores, a public boat launch at the north end, and Peaine Township viewing access at Font Lake Park on the south end.
    internet_archive · beaver-island-master-plan-20231113
  3. John Farmer, Map of the State of Michigan, 1853, Rumsey Collection scan.
    The Beaver Island detail labels the lake 'Font L.'; the map establishes the historical spelling but does not explain the name's origin or prove that the cartographic feature corresponds exactly to the modern GNIS geometry.
    maps · rumsey · farmer_1853_michigan · full