Summary
Fox Lake is an inland lake near the center of Beaver Island. The 2023 Beaver Island Master Plan describes it as approximately 75 acres, with a bog toward the eastern shore, a variety of fish, and a well-known public access site near the “Big Birch,” described by the plan as one of Michigan’s oldest birch trees.
Local Beaver Beacon reports add a historical fisheries record: in December 1961, a fish culturist and the Island conservation officer planted 2,000 brook trout at Fox Lake; a May 1972 report described trout fishing and catches there. These reports document stocking and use, not the present condition of the fishery or the age of the lake’s access site. The December report also gives the planting date, size, weight, ferry transport, and approximate losses.
Open questions
- Can the stocking record be matched to Michigan DNR fisheries files and subsequent population surveys?
- Where precisely is the “Big Birch,” and what source supports the claim about its age?
- When was the public access site established and how has the eastern bog been mapped?
- What state or hatchery records document the December 1961 stocking and its later survival?
Sources
- U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System, Domestic Names (Michigan), retrieved 2026-07-28.GNIS feature 626379; feature class 'Lake'.federal · gnis · gnis_names
- Beaver Island Master Plan, 2023 update.Describes Fox Lake as 75 acres in the central interior, with a bog on the eastern shore, a fishery, public access, and the nearby “Big Birch” natural landmark.
- Beaver Beacon, December 1961, “Good News.”Reports the planting of 2,000 brook trout at Fox Lake by a hatchery fish culturist and the Island conservation officer.
- Beaver Beacon, December 1961, “Good News.”Reports the December 6 planting details: 2,000 brook trout, 450 pounds total, averaging 8.5 inches, transported in a tank aboard the Emerald Isle ferry with about two dozen losses.
- Beaver Beacon, March 1961, “Fishing News.”Reports the Civic Association’s decision to eradicate Fox Lake fish and restock desirable species, with a summer fishing closure expected. It is a planning notice, not a fisheries treatment record.
- Beaver Beacon, May 1972, “Game News.”Reports trout fishing at Fox Lake and local catches during the spring fishing season.