Summary
McCauley Point is a GNIS-named cape on Beaver Island. The 2023 Beaver Island Master Plan lists “McCauley’s Point” among its water-trail access sites, and a November 2025 Northern Islander map labels it among the island’s Dark Sky viewing sites. These current maps establish continued geographic use of the name and a recreational/coastal-access context; they do not yet establish the history of any access facility. A Helen Collar research card adds a local lead that Owen McCauley fished there with pond nets, but the note does not establish whether he was the namesake or when the fishing occurred.
Open questions
- Was the Owen McCauley named in the local research card the person associated with the point’s name?
- What access facilities, if any, have existed there and on what dates?
Sources
- U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System, Domestic Names (Michigan), retrieved 2026-07-28.GNIS feature 631824; feature class 'Cape'.federal · gnis · gnis_names
- Beaver Island Master Plan (Beaver Island, Mich., 2023), Water Trail Access Sites map, p. 156.Lists “McCauley's Point” as a coastal access site.
- Northern Islander, November 2025, Beaver Island Dark Sky Sanctuary map.The published map labels McCauley's Point among Beaver Island viewing sites; the map is a present-day geographic reference, not a history of the point.
- Helen Collar Papers, Beaver Island history subject cards, Q-Z, Place Names, Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, retrieved 2026.The local research card says Owen McCauley fished at McCauley Point with pond nets. It supports a possible namesake and fishing-use lead, but does not identify the person conclusively or date the activity.web · collar_subject_cards_q-z