James Strang, the Mormon King of Beaver Island Part 1

The Reference Desk

Did you know there was once an American monarch who ruled over an island in Lake Michigan?

This week, Katie is bewitched by the story of James Strang, the Mormon King of Beaver Island. In the first episode of this two-part series, we meet a confidence man who leaves a trail of fraud in his wake before claiming to be the next prophet and church leader following Joseph Smith’s death. While Brigham Young convinced most Mormons in the Midwest to follow him to Utah, James Strang established his own sect of the church on a small, wooded island in the Great Lakes. Strang employs the help of a handful of other very questionable characters, including a fake doctor and an actor whose stench was more memorable than his performances. Still, his plan to establish a Mormon nation reaches its peak when Strang is crowned ‘King’ in a coronation that is equal parts hilarious and horrific. It’s a story rife with antebellum restlessness, deception, unwavering faith, and murder.

Staff picks:
Jury Duty on Freevee (Amazon Prime)
Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Daisy Jones & the Six TV series (Amazon Prime)

Sources:
The King of Confidence by Miles Harvey

James J. Strang Papers Collection

The Coronation of James J. Strang and the Making of Beaver Island Mormonism

Anti-Mormon Violence

The Book of Mormon summary

The Strangite Church

Beaver Island Historical Society

Strang’s Letter of Appointment from Joseph Smith

Some of Strang’s news articles

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