Michigan Tidbits

Many of you have probably wondered where I get my infomation.  Most of it comes from "Michigan A History of the Great Lakes State" by Bruce A. Rubenstein.  It was one of my texts for a History class I had taken.  Todays tidbit will be about a little known subject that many are unaware of.  The King of the Beaver Islands.  The story starts with a man named James Strang during the years of 1847 through 1856.  James Strang was a Mormon who opposed Brigham Young's views on polygamy, so when Young and his followers decided to go to Salt Lake City, Utah, Strang and others that shared his belief of monogamy went to Rancine, Wisconsin.  Two years later Strang and his fellow Mormons came to the Beaver Islands where Strang proclaimed himself King an announcement that was unexceptable to Michiganians.  Strang's coming enabled Michigan to be the only state ever to have a king ruling over a protion of its territory after its admission to the Union. The relationship between Mormons and Gentiles were strained to say the least.  Strangs intentions were to gain complete econimical and political control of Mackinac and make Mormonism a political control in Michigan.  After futile attempts from Michiganians to dethrone Strang, he decided to use the law to his benefit.  Strang declared war on Michigan which gained him national recognition.  After being arrested and taken to Detroit to stand trial, Strang contended that he was being persecuted for religious beliefs and all charges were dropped.  As a reward for delivering the entire Mormon vote for the democratic party, the Beaver Islands were made a separate county from Mackinac.  Strang became the counties justice of the peace, county supervisor, chairman of the Board of Health and a member of legislature. Strang's followers weredisappointed when Strang started acting more like a Gentiles they disliked and disposed him from the church for drinking and taking up polygamy.  Therefore his fellow Mormons joined fores with the Gentile to overthrow King Strang.  When the warship Michigan arrived in the bay at Beaver Island, Strang even though he was aware of the plot to overthrow him he didn't believe it he thought that they were there to protect him since he was a member of the legislature.  He went to the dock to greet the warship and was shot in the back by his fellow Mormons. "After Strangs death his followers lost all sense of power and direction.  Soon a drunken mob of Gentiles went to Beaver Islands, looted homes and stores, raped women, seized land, livestock and farm equipment, burned the church and bibles and drove all 2,500 Mormons from the islands.Within two weeks of Strang,s death his people were scattered from Green Bay to Chicago and the kingdom was ended"(Rubenstein 95).  I hope you enjoyed this tidbit until next time.
Cinda