Fox Islands (Michigan)
Encyclopedia
The Fox Islands consist of the North Fox and South Fox islands, in Lake Michigan
. The uninhabited islands are approximately 17 miles northwest of Cathead Point near the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula
of Michigan
and about 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Beaver Island
. The three islands form part of an archipelago. There is a lighthouse on South Fox that was built in 1867 and operated until 1959. Both islands are part of Leelanau County, Michigan
and are administered by Leelanau Township
.
s) in area, roughly 2 miles (3 km) wide by 1 miles (2 km) long. This island was purchased by real estate magnate David V. Johnson in 1994 for $1.3 million, and the entire island was sold back to the State of Michigan for $2.2 million at the end of the year 2000.
In the mid-1970s a child pornography ring was discovered operating on North Fox Island. The proprietor of the island used his position in a large social program to fly boys in his private plane to his island retreat. The Ann Arbor News published a story in their weekend magazine on the proprietor's life, then published a second story when the crimes were uncovered.
The Old South Fox Island Lighthouse was built in 1867 and includes a 39 feet (11.9 m) tall square brick tower attached to a keeper's house. The light itself was a flashing red, 4th order Fresnel lens. It is currently boarded up and abandoned, as is a newer assistant keeper's dwelling next door, built in 1910.
In 1934, a newer 60 feet (18.3 m) tall, steel skeletal tower was built closer to the shoreline. This light tower came from Sapelo Island, and is a square, pyramidal, cast iron skeletal tower of the 'Sanibel' class. It has an enclosed steel spiral stairway that leads to the 10-sided lantern room at the top. A nearby fog signal building, built 1895, is closed. This tower is currently inactive.
Johnson built a paved runway and a residence on the southern island. Johnson's company Victor international Corporation maintains documentation of the island's development. He had originally proposed swapping North Fox Island with the state for the third of South Fox that he did not own, but he settled in 2003 for a consolidation deal which traded 218 acre (0.88221548 km²) of state owned land on the southern part of South Fox for 219 acre (0.88626234 km²) on the north and central parts of the same island. This deal was finalized in March 2003.
Mr. Johnson owns 2204 acres (9 km²) on the isolated 3400 acres (14 km²) Lake Michigan island 25 miles (40 km) west of the Leelanau County coast. South Fox Island boasts some of the most spectacular freshwater maritime scenery in the world, including towering dunes, virgin cedars, and untouched beaches.
The island includes a cemetery where members of the Grand Traverse Band of Native Americans are currently buried.
Deer were introduced onto the island in 1915. Hunting is permitted on state land by permit only.
The Fox Island Lighthouse Association (FILA), a non-profit organization, was formed in 2004 to aid in helping to preserve this historic Great Lakes maritime complex. Visit http://southfox.org for further information.
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
. The uninhabited islands are approximately 17 miles northwest of Cathead Point near the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula
Leelanau Peninsula
The Leelanau Peninsula is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan that extends about from the Lower Peninsula of Michigan into Lake Michigan. Leelanau County encompasses the entire peninsula. It is often referred to as the "little finger" of the mitten-shaped lower peninsula.Sleeping Bear Dunes...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and about 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Beaver Island
Beaver Island (Lake Michigan)
Beaver Island is the largest island in Lake Michigan and part of the Beaver Island archipelago. Once home to a unique American monarchy, the island is now a popular tourist and vacation destination....
. The three islands form part of an archipelago. There is a lighthouse on South Fox that was built in 1867 and operated until 1959. Both islands are part of Leelanau County, Michigan
Leelanau County, Michigan
-History:The county's name is said to be a Native American word meaning "delight of life", but it is a neologism made up by Indian agent and ethnographer Henry Schoolcraft, who sometimes gave the name "Leelinau" to Native American women in his tales. He created many faux Indian place names in...
and are administered by Leelanau Township
Leelanau Township, Michigan
Leelanau Township is a civil township of Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,139 at the 2000 census.- Communities and landmarks :...
.
North Fox Island
North Fox (45.4792°N 85.7771°W) is the smaller of the two islands, 3.32 km² (1.282 sq mi, or 820.5 acreAcre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s) in area, roughly 2 miles (3 km) wide by 1 miles (2 km) long. This island was purchased by real estate magnate David V. Johnson in 1994 for $1.3 million, and the entire island was sold back to the State of Michigan for $2.2 million at the end of the year 2000.
In the mid-1970s a child pornography ring was discovered operating on North Fox Island. The proprietor of the island used his position in a large social program to fly boys in his private plane to his island retreat. The Ann Arbor News published a story in their weekend magazine on the proprietor's life, then published a second story when the crimes were uncovered.
South Fox Island
South Fox Island (45.4156°N 85.8463°W) is 13.89 km² (5.3635 sq mi, or 3,432.6 acres) in area, and about 5 miles (8 km) long and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide. As of 2001, David V. Johnson also owned about two-thirds of South Fox. The other third was owned by the State of Michigan, including the two lighthouses on the southern tip of the island. There is no ferry service to South Fox, and it has no docks, fuel or sheltered harbor. However, a 5,500 foot private runway can accommodate jet aircraft. The developer, Victor International Corporation, maintains a slide show depicting the construction of the runway.The Old South Fox Island Lighthouse was built in 1867 and includes a 39 feet (11.9 m) tall square brick tower attached to a keeper's house. The light itself was a flashing red, 4th order Fresnel lens. It is currently boarded up and abandoned, as is a newer assistant keeper's dwelling next door, built in 1910.
In 1934, a newer 60 feet (18.3 m) tall, steel skeletal tower was built closer to the shoreline. This light tower came from Sapelo Island, and is a square, pyramidal, cast iron skeletal tower of the 'Sanibel' class. It has an enclosed steel spiral stairway that leads to the 10-sided lantern room at the top. A nearby fog signal building, built 1895, is closed. This tower is currently inactive.
Johnson built a paved runway and a residence on the southern island. Johnson's company Victor international Corporation maintains documentation of the island's development. He had originally proposed swapping North Fox Island with the state for the third of South Fox that he did not own, but he settled in 2003 for a consolidation deal which traded 218 acre (0.88221548 km²) of state owned land on the southern part of South Fox for 219 acre (0.88626234 km²) on the north and central parts of the same island. This deal was finalized in March 2003.
Mr. Johnson owns 2204 acres (9 km²) on the isolated 3400 acres (14 km²) Lake Michigan island 25 miles (40 km) west of the Leelanau County coast. South Fox Island boasts some of the most spectacular freshwater maritime scenery in the world, including towering dunes, virgin cedars, and untouched beaches.
The island includes a cemetery where members of the Grand Traverse Band of Native Americans are currently buried.
Deer were introduced onto the island in 1915. Hunting is permitted on state land by permit only.
The Fox Island Lighthouse Association (FILA), a non-profit organization, was formed in 2004 to aid in helping to preserve this historic Great Lakes maritime complex. Visit http://southfox.org for further information.
Further reading
- "A Tour of the Lights of the Straits." Michigan History 70 (Sep/Oct 1986), pp. 17–29.
External links
- Beacons in the Night, Michigan Lighthouse Chronology, Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University.
- Lighthouses in the Mackinac Straits.
- Interactive map of Lights in Northern Lake Michigan, mapped by Google.
- Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, South Fox Island Lighthouse.
- http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-context=dt&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-CHECK_SEARCH_RESULTS=N&-CONTEXT=dt&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_P001&-tree_id=4001&-transpose=N&-redoLog=true&-all_geo_types=N&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=100$10000US260899701002000&-geo_id=100$10000US260899701002001&-search_results=100$10000US260899704001180&-format=&-_lang=en&-show_geoid=YNorth Fox Island and South Fox Island: Blocks 2000 and 2001, Census Tract 9701, Leelanau County, Michigan] United States Census Bureau