Beaver Island (Charlevoix County, Michigan)

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Beaver Island
Iron Ore Bay at the south end of Beaver Island
Iron Ore Bay at the south end of Beaver Island
Waters Lake Michigan
Archipelago Beaver Island Archipelago
Geographical location 45 ° 40 ′  N , 85 ° 33 ′  W Coordinates: 45 ° 40 ′  N , 85 ° 33 ′  W
Beaver Island (Charlevoix County, Michigan) (Michigan)
Beaver Island (Charlevoix County, Michigan)
length 21 km
width 10 km
surface 144.45 km²
Highest elevation (old fire tower site)
Location of the old fire tower
241.7  m
Residents 551 (2000)
3.8 inhabitants / km²
main place Saint James Township
Beaver Island satellite image
Beaver Island satellite image

Beaver Island is the largest island in Lake Michigan (USA) and the main island of the Beaver Islands . Formerly home to a unique American monarchy, the island is now a popular tourist and vacation destination. Beaver Island is approximately 51 km from the mainland city of Charlevoix and can only be reached by plane or boat. The island has two airfields, one public and one private. The zip code is 49782. Beaver Island is also the name of a parish that includes the populated areas of the island.

geography

Beaver Island is 13 miles long and up to 6 miles wide and is part of Charlevoix County , Michigan . The island is mostly flat and sandy, with large forested sections. The highest point is the location of the old fire watch tower south of Fox Lake, at 241.7 meters (793 feet) above sea level and 65 meters (214 feet) above lake level. This elevation is unnamed. The best-known elevation, however, is Mt. Pisgah, a sand dune on the west side of Donegal Bay, at a height of 222.5 meters (730 feet). According to the US census data, it has an area of ​​144.45 km² and a year-round population of 551 people. The more densely populated part of the island, which covers only about six percent of the total land area, belongs to the St. James Township at the north end. This part had 307 inhabitants at the 2000 census. (Garden Island, High Island, Hog Island, and several smaller islands in Lake Michigan, none of which have permanent residents.) Peaine Township, which occupies the remaining 94 percent of the island, includes large pieces of state-owned land is largely undeveloped. It has (as of 2000) 244 inhabitants.

Beaver Island has several small to medium-sized lakes, including Lake Geneserath in the southeast, Greenes Lake and Fox Lake in the central part, and Font Lake, Egg Lake, Round Lake and Barneys Lake in the north. There are only two named flowing waters: Jordan River, which flows into Sand Bay on the east side of the island, and Iron Ore Creek, which flows into Iron Ore Bay on the south end.

economy

Traditionally, the island's main industries have been fishing, forestry and agriculture. Today, however, the economy revolves around public services, tourism, and home and holiday home construction. There are numerous recreational opportunities in Beaver Island Harbor, on the beaches, by the inland lakes and in the state forest that covers a large part of the island. A golf course, hiking trails, several restaurants and hotels, a marina and numerous other facilities appeal to both locals and visitors.

Beaver Island calls itself "America's Emerald Island" in part because many of its residents are of Irish descent.

The Central Michigan University operates a research facility on the island.

The Mormon Kingdom on Beaver Island

Although Beaver Island is best known for its beaches, forests, pleasure boat marina and seclusion these days, it was once the site of a unique Mormon kingdom.

The island's association with Mormonism began with the death of Joseph Smith , founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Most Mormons then considered Brigham Young to be Smith's successor, but many others followed James Strang . Strang founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( Strangites ) and claimed that it was the only legitimate continuation of the Church "restored" by Joseph. His organization still exists today (but not on Beaver Island) and has up to 300 members. The group first settled in Voree, Wisconsin , where they founded a church that continues to this day.

In search of safety from persecution and possibly greater isolation to increase his control over the group, Strang brought his followers to Beaver Island in 1848. The Strangites flourished under Strang's leadership and became a political influence in the region. They founded the village of St. James (named after Strang) and built a road, the King's Highway , into the interior of the island, which is still one of the main routes on the island today. The Strangites cleared land, built huts, farms and other facilities, and tried to establish themselves permanently on Beaver Island.

James Strand, 1856

Strang was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 1853 and again in 1855 . He also founded Northern Michigan's first newspaper, the Northern Islander . During his time in Parliament, Strang made Beaver Island the center of a new administrative district: Manitou County included the Beaver Islands, the Fox Islands and North and South Manitou Island and had St. James as the administrative seat. Manitou County was dissolved by the State of Michigan in 1895 (see below).

As soon as he settled in on Beaver Island, Strang declared himself a polygamist , a practice he had previously refused. He had five wives and was the father of a total of 14 children.

In 1850, Strang proclaimed himself king, but not over the island itself. Instead, he claimed to be king over his church, which at the time had most of the islanders as members. He was crowned on July 8th of the year in a "tabernacle" erected from logs by his followers, in an elaborate ceremony that included a crown, a red royal robe, a shield, a courge and a wooden scepter . The Strangite tabernacle and Strang's humble house were long gone, as were Strang's regal regalia, but a print shop built by his disciples still exists - the only Strangite building left on Beaver Island. Today it houses a museum about the history of the island.

Strang and his followers often clashed with their non-Strangite neighbors on and around Beaver Island. While claiming to be king over his own followers, Strang tended to rule over non-Strangites on the island as well, and was regularly accused of forcibly seizing their property and assaulting them. Open enmity between the two groups often ended in violence. Strangites were beaten up by local bullies in the post office, while Strang once fired a cannon at a group of recalcitrant drunk fishermen who had threatened to take his people off the island. The Strangites were increasingly given a monopoly over the local administration, which blurred the distinction between church and state in their “utopia”.

Though Beaver Island's would-be monarch had many progressive ideas (like protecting forests), his autocratic style of governance has been viewed by many as intolerable over time. For example, a decree prescribed the type of clothing Strangitic women had to wear (see Bloomers ). Two women refused, and Strang had their husbands flogged, which was "relieved" by the fact that one of them was caught committing adultery with a business partner's wife.

As they recovered from their injuries, the husbands forged a plan against Strand. On June 16, 1856, a U.S. Navy gunboat, the USS Michigan , entered St. James Harbor and invited Strang to come aboard. As Strang walked down the pier, the two men shot him from behind, then ran to the ship. The ship ran out and dropped the men on Mackinac Island without arresting them. Neither of the two was convicted of the crime.

After Strang died on July 9, 1856 as a result of his wounds, a mob came from Mackinac Island and from nearby St. Helena Island. The mob drove the Strangites (then about 2,600 people) from Beaver Island and appropriated their property. With the departure of the Strangites, local government in Manitou County (including Beaver Island) virtually ceased to exist. Court days and elections were rarely held. The district's offices were usually vacant and the area gained a reputation for lawlessness, underscored by the fact that Michigan Governor John J. Bagley called for the county to be abolished in 1877. A corresponding bill was introduced in the state parliament, but did not get a majority. A new attempt in 1895 was successful and the Beaver Islands became part of Charlevoix County while the Fox and Manitou Islands became part of Leelanau County .

"America's Emerald Island"

Irish fishermen from Gull Island, Mackinac Island, various port cities on the mainland and County Donegal in Ireland quickly replaced the Strangites on Beaver Island. Their community, grown by further immigration from Ireland, developed a unique identity that was facilitated by the island's isolation from the mainland. Church services and even normal conversations were held in Gaelic for many years . By the mid-1880s, Beaver Island had become the largest supplier of freshwater fish to the United States, but overfishing and engineering changes ended the boom by 1900.

In addition to the murdered "King", Beaver Island would later become home to two people of local renown. Father Peter Gallagher, pastor from 1865 to 1898, was a colorful and charismatic leader who dominated island life and even got into a fistfight with a parishioner in the island chapel. Feodor Protar, who arrived in 1893, was a disciple of the Russian writer and pacifist Leo Tolstoy . He served as the village doctor and everyone's friend while he lived as a hermit in a hut in the interior of the island. Protar died in 1925, leaving many admirers who kept his memory for decades.

Logging , always an important part of the island's economy, was expanded significantly with the founding of the Beaver Island Logging Company in 1901. Jetties, shelters, railroad tracks and a sawmill transformed the local scenery for a time, but fishing remained the island's main occupation. A sharp decline in fish stocks in the 1940s led to an exodus of most of the islanders until tourism sparked renewed interest in Beaver Island in the 1970s. Today the island is a popular vacation destination for people from across the Great Lakes region, benefiting from both its special history and unspoiled beauty.

traffic

Beaver Island is served by two small airlines: Island Airways and Fresh Air Aviation . Island Airways planes fly from Charlevoix to Welke Airport (6Y8), a private, publicly accessible, airfield in Peaine Township. Fresh Air Aviation's planes fly from Charlevoix to the township's own public airfield (KSJX) on the west side of the island, also in Peaine Township.

The Beaver Island Boat Company operates a car ferry from Charlevoix. Daily connections take place from May to September, the ferry connection is closed from January to March. Visitors who want to bring their own vehicle must reserve in advance.

There are two lighthouses on Beaver Island. Beaver Island Harbor Light (or St. James Light ), built in 1870, on the north side of the island, still serves as a navigation aid today. The Beaver Island Head Lighthouse at the south end of the island, built in 1858, was decommissioned in 1962.

The archipelago

The Beaver Island Archipelago comprises, roughly in order of size, the following islands:

  • Beaver Island
  • Garden Island
  • High Island
  • South Fox Island
  • Hog Island
  • North Fox Island
  • Gull Island
  • Whiskey Island
  • Squaw Island
  • Trout Island
  • Grape Island
  • Has Iceland
  • Shoe Island
  • Pismire Island

Gull, Hat, Pismire and Shoe Island form the part of the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge located in Lake Michigan and are administered as a branch of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge . Two of the islands - Pismire and Shoe - are also part of the Michigan Islands Wilderness Area .

Island partnership

In 2000, Beaver Island partnered with Arranmore Island in County Donegal, Ireland. This connection is comparable to a town twinning .

Individual evidence

  1. Beaver Island: Peaine township and Saint James township Blocks 1009 through 1048, Blocks 1079 through 1083, Block 1996, Census Tract 9805, Charlevoix County, Michigan United States Census Bureau
  2. Lake Geneserath in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
  3. Greenes Lake in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
  4. Fox Lake in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
  5. Font Lake in the United States Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System
  6. ^ Egg Lake in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
  7. Round Lake in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
  8. Barneys Lake in the United States Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System
  9. ^ Jordan River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
  10. ^ Iron Ore Creek in the United States Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System
  11. The term “Mormon” here refers to James Strang's grouping, not the majority group that followed Brigham Young to Utah. Generally, the term is used for the latter grouping. Apart from their common historical roots, there is no connection between the two.
  12. depending on the source; see. http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_191.html
  13. Voree Herald, August 12, 1847, quoted in: Doyle C. Fitzpatrick: The King Strang Story: A Vindication of James J, Strang, the Beaver Island Mormon King . National Heritage, 1970, ISBN 0-685-57226-9 , pp. 74-75.
  14. Weeks, Robert P. For His Was the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory ... Briefly. ( Memento of the original from September 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: American Heritage. Vol. 21, Issue 4, June 1970. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.americanheritage.com
  15. James J. Strang: Ancient and modern Michilimackinac, including an account of the controversy between Mackinac and the Mormons. Interesting article from Strand's point of view
  16. leelanaunews.com ( Memento of the original from May 17, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.leelanaunews.com
  17. beaverisland.net
  18. http://www.beaverisland.net/history/ accessed on August 2, 2008.
  19. ^ Beaver Island History from the Beaver Island Historical Society
  20. beaverisland.net
  21. arranmoreferry.com

Web links

Commons : Beaver Island  - collection of images, videos and audio files