Summary
Hat Island is a small outer island in the Beaver Island Archipelago. GNIS classifies it as an island, while the 2023 Beaver Island Master Plan places it within the federally owned Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge and lists it among the archipelago’s uninhabited outer islands.
Local sources show several distinct uses without collapsing them into a single settlement history. A July 1961 Beaver Beacon report records a Caspian Tern banded on Hat Island in 1960. A December 1963 winter travel account describes crossing to the island’s north side, following mail-carrier tracks to the beach, and observing a horse-feeding area. A 1975 Charlevoix Courier classified advertised Hat Island for sale, but does not prove that a sale was completed. These records support wildlife, transportation, and ownership history while leaving the island’s earlier use and refuge-title chronology open.
Open questions
- When did federal refuge ownership begin, and how did it relate to the 1975 sale advertisement?
- Can the mail route and horse-feeding area described in 1963 be located on historical maps or plat records?
- Are there additional bird-banding records for Hat Island in federal wildlife datasets?
Sources
- OpenStreetMap contributors, island polygons via Overpass API, retrieved 2026-07-28 (ODbL 1.0).Area 0.06 km² computed in EPSG:3078.osm · islands
- U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System, Domestic Names (Michigan), retrieved 2026-07-28.GNIS feature 627929; feature class 'Island'.federal · gnis · gnis_names
- Beaver Island Master Plan, 2023 update.Places Hat Island among federally owned islands in the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge and among the uninhabited outer islands of the archipelago.
- Beaver Beacon, July 1961, “Bird Banding.”Reports a Caspian Tern banded on Hat Island on July 5, 1960 and describes the broader gull and tern banding work around Beaver Island.
- Beaver Beacon, December 1963, winter ice-route report.Describes an over-ice trip from Beaver Island to the Hat’s north side, where the travelers followed mail-carrier tracks to the beach and noted horse feeding there.
- Charlevoix Courier, 1975, classified/property notice.Advertises Hat Island for sale for $35,000, documenting private ownership or marketing at that date; the notice does not establish a completed sale.