Summary
Nomad is a named settlement on Beaver Island’s south side. GNIS records it as a populated place; local sources show that the name remained in practical use from at least 1917 through the 1960s.
A September 1964 Beaver Beacon retrospective describes Nomad as a town with its own post office and a cluster of cottages. It recalls the Coles operating a sawmill and small store there. A separate September 1963 account places the writer’s 1917 meeting with the Citizen’s Realty Company representative at Nomad and says that the company had built a hotel and dock just south of Cables Creek. These accounts establish activity associated with the place but do not yet date the settlement’s founding or prove that every named facility stood at the GNIS coordinate.
Later notices show continued seasonal and residential use: a 1962 issue reported a planned cottage on the Nomad corner, while a December 1960 issue reported the loss of the Gail Berchard cottage in a fire. The sources do not establish when the post office, mill, or store opened or closed.
Open questions
- When was Nomad’s post office established and discontinued?
- Which Coles operated the sawmill and store, and can business directories or land records identify the facilities precisely?
- Did the Citizen’s Realty Company hotel and dock survive beyond the 1910s?
Sources
- U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System, Domestic Names (Michigan), retrieved 2026-07-28.GNIS feature 1618186; feature class 'Populated Place'.federal · gnis · gnis_names
- Beaver Beacon, September 1964, “Know Your Neighbor.”Local retrospective describes Nomad as a town with its own post office, a cluster of cottages, and the Coles' sawmill and small store.
- Beaver Beacon, September 1963, “A Letter of Interest.”First-person account says a Citizen's Realty Company representative met the writer at Nomad in April 1917 and describes a hotel and dock just south of Cables Creek.
- Beaver Beacon, October 1962, property report.Reports a planned cottage on the Nomad corner.
- Beaver Beacon, December 1960, property report.Reports the destruction by fire of the Gail Berchard cottage at Nomad on November 28, 1960.
- Beaver Beacon, August 1960, property notice.Reports James and Constance DeClaire purchasing the Wanty property at Nomad; it does not provide a deed, parcel, price, or exact transaction date.