The Beaver Island Historical Society is pleased to announce the Northern Islander will once again be published from the Print Shop where it began 173 years ago in 1850! The Beaver Island Historical Society is in the process or purchasing the newspaper from former owner Cynthia Hector Johnson.
The Northern Islander was originally published by James Strang as a weekly paper. The subscription rate was $2 per year and advertising was $1 for twelve lines per square inch for 3 ads. The papers were sold locally, regionally and mailed to subscribers once a month.
Strang described the newspaper in 1850 as a gazette of the islands devoted to their interests, a vehicle of general news, literature, science and the arts written by Mormons, but not the official organ of the church but a paper of general reading. Strang ended his pitch with... this brief exposure of our intentions, we offer our Journal to those who think it worth the purchase. Oddly enough, some of those founding principles will apply today!
The new edition of the Northern Islander will be a 24-page paper printed on tabloid sheets devoted to the island community and the first BIHS Northern Islander edition will be published in April. Until then, the Historical Society wishes to thank our previous editor, Cynthia Hector Johnson, for her entertaining and informative journalism over the years.
The Beaver Beacon will be a high gloss collectible magazine published bi-annually, sold locally on the island and sold to mail subscribers and available online. The content will be focused on the unique history and arts of the Beaver Island Archipelago featuring photography and stories about lighthouses, maritime life, Native Americans, geology, geography, and island life. The first Beaver Beacon issue will likely be in available this fall.
The Beaver Island Historical Society has a mission to preserve and share the unique history of Beaver Island and the Archipelago. We will advance our mission by expanding our operations to present the local news of our community through storytelling and outreach. The new publication will be community- based and adhere to the best practices of community journalism–written by the community about the community.
Subscribers and advertisers will soon be notified of new management and to confirm the rates and publication dates for the Northern Islander will stay the same through 2023. We hope you enjoy the new version of the Northern Islander newspaper and will choose to remain or become a new customer.
Also, be on the lookout for a posting to hire our future editor! Please contact us at editor@beaverislandhistory.org or (231) 448-2254 for more information.
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