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Beaver Island History - Helen Collar Papers

Mail Service

Air service -
First air service - December 1930
(See notebook I for boats)

Newspaper article, Dec. 25, 1930 [this is taken from a clipping inserted in the original manuscript; the name of the newspaper is not noted]:
"Mail Service by Airplane -
Two Trips Weekly to St. James"
Thursday of last week the first of a series of mail deliveries was made to St. James on a schedule to be followed by two weekly trips over the air route between Charlevoix and St. James, during the winter period.
In past years the service between the two terminals, from the close until the opening of navigation, has been a source of annoyance to the postal authorities as well as unsatisfactory to Beaver Island residents and patrons generally having business or social relations such as necessitated the use of the mail service to conduct satisfactorily.
Heretofore following the close of the season of navigation all classes of mail accumulated for days in the local office awaiting an opportunity for forwarding to its St. James destination and later shipped to Cross Village, where after other delays, after the formation of an ice route, the mail was taken by team to St. James at infrequent intervals.
The air route established for the winter period appears to be the logical solution of the many years old winter problem and the twice a week schedule if carried out, and no doubt it will be, makes for an ideal arrangement and one that should be satisfactory to postal patrons.

Postmasters

Established as a 4th Class P.O. Jan. 13, 1849
Name changed to St. James, Oct. 10, 1854
Discontinued Mar. 6, 1868
Re-established as 4th Class Dec. 19, 1868
Made 3rd Class July 1, 1845(?) 1945?

High Island had a 4th Class P.O. established June 5, 1913 & discontinued June 15, 1914. Gladys Hill, P.M..

Nomad was established Mar. 10, 1917 & discontinued Oct. 31, 1833. Julia Cole, P.M..

Postmaster Appointed
Charles R. Wright Jan. 13, 1849
Peter McKinley Sept. 19, 1851
Dennis Chidester Feb. 24, 1852
Edward Chidester June 27, 1856
Bradner Curran Aug. 1, 1856
James McKinley Sept. 19, 1857
D. D. Lobdell May 16, 1861
John O. Mala Dec. 1, 1862 (could this be O'Malley?)
Charles R. Wright Nov. 20, 1863 (Sarah McKinley speaks of mail every week under Chas. Wright)
This is blank Dec. 19, 1868 [see above, "discontinued Mar, 6, 1868"]
George Miller Nov. 4, 1881
James Gibson Dec. 6, 1881
Ida Gibson Apr. 2, 1903 ah this must be Mamie McCann
Michael J. McCann July 3, 1903
William W. Boyle Jan. 23, 1923 (acting)
William W. Boyle Mar. 9, 1923 (commissioned)
Frank J. Nackerman Aug. 15, 1939 (acting)

Frank J. Nackerman Feb. 20, 1940 (commissioned)