Shoe Island is a small island or islet in the
Beaver Island archipelago in
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...
. It is about in size and located in eastern
St. James Township,
Charlevoix County, Michigan. It became part of the
Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge in 1943, and was designated as part of the
Michigan Islands Wilderness Area
Michigan Islands Wilderness Area, a relatively small wilderness area of 12.5 acres (0.05 km2.), consists of Pismire Island, Scarecrow Island, and Shoe Island within the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge. These three islands, which ...
in 1970.
Like several other components of the Michigan Islands NWR, Shoe Island was formed during the
Wisconsin glaciation. Geologically, it is a heap of boulders and gravel left behind by a retreating glacier. Islets of this type form good nesting places for freshwater
seabirds.
References
Protected areas of Charlevoix County, Michigan
Islands of Lake Michigan in Michigan
Uninhabited islands of Michigan
Islands of Charlevoix County, Michigan
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