Hat Island (Lake Michigan)

Hat Island

Hat Island
Geography
Location	Lake Michigan
Coordinates	45°48′57″N 85°18′00″W / 45.81583°N 85.30000°W / 45.81583; -85.30000
Area	10 acres (4.0 ha)
Highest elevation	584 ft (178 m)
Administration
United States
State	Michigan
County	Charlevoix County
Township	St. James Township
Demographics
Population	Uninhabited

Hat Island is a small island on the eastern edge of the Beaver Island archipelago in Lake Michigan. It is about 10 acres (0.04 km²) in size and located in eastern St. James Township, Charlevoix County, Michigan. It became part of the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge in 1943.^[1]

Like other islands in the Michigan Islands NWR, Hat Island was formed during the Wisconsin glaciation when a melting glacier randomly dumped a large quantity of boulders and gravel in a spot that became part of the lakebed. The island was selected for inclusion in the Michigan Islands NMWR because of its standing as a potential breeding ground for herring gulls and other fish-eating birds.

During World War 2 it was used as a practice bombing site by the US Navy.

Hat Island is roughly four-sided, with an SSE-pointing forepeak that is said to look like the upturned brim of a hat.