-~C^-^^. . '[-M^ CS[CktmAxl\hid(^l*^ ^ ^^Mm^ttI, F 574 \ .B38 S8 Copy 1 5 a'' B AND ITS EAVER ISLAND mormon kingdom BY CHAS. J. STRANG, ONE OF 'KING' STRANG'S SONS EAVER ISLAND, the largest in Lake Michig-ati, lies about thirty miles north'west of Little Traverse Bay. From 1850 to 1856 this island was the headquarters of a band of people -who assumed for themselves rig-hts and prerogatives contrary to the spirit of our constitution and la-vvs, and whose acts made a considerable portion of the history of the Traverse region for that decade. The rise and fall of the "kingdom" which then flourished there will always be a prolific subject for writers who visit this northern countr}'. These people called themselves "Latter Day Saints," but they were better "M^ ^TOf'tmu?' AiJ^uAj I ^^,^>4rr I 7 F 574 \ .B38 S8 Copy 1 REAVER ISLAND mormoT kingdom BY CHAS. J. STRANG, ONE OF 'KING" STRANG'S SONS EAVER ISLAND, the larg-est in Lake Michig-an, lies about thirty miles northwest of Little Traverse Bay. From 1850 to 1856 this island was the headquarters of a band of people who assumed for themselves rig-hts and prerog^atives contrary to the spirit of our constitution and laws, and whose acts made a considerable portion of the history of the Traverse reg-ion for that decade. The rise and fall of the "king-dom" which then flourished there will always be a prolific subject for writers who visit this northern country. These people called themselves "Latter Day Saints," but they were better im=lNDIAN COMPANY |NE of the interesting- features of the late Civil War was a companj^ of Indian soldiers who foug-ht under Grant from the battle of the Wilder- ness until the surrender of the Confederates at Appomattox Court House. "Company K, First Michig-an Sharpshooters," was composed almost entirely of Indians from the Little Traverse Reg-ion. Of the 100 men who left to fig-ht for their country, scarcely half that number returned. The company was org-an- ized at Little Traverse in 1863 by Lieut. G. A. Graveraet, a g-allant young- soldier, who fell mortally wounded in the battle before Petersburg-, after dig-g-ing- a g-rave for his father who fell by his side. Letters received home from superior officers stated that the Indians were among- the best soldiers in the service. They entered each battle with vim and vig-or and foug-ht as g-allantly for that same country under the stars and stripes as their ancestors did when they defended it from the whites under the feathers of the wild American Eag-le. w EOSMA: THE OTTAWAS IN READMOND township, 'neath the wide spreading- boug-hs of a larg-e oak, is a mound which marks the hist resting- place of one of the noble red men of the forest. Having heard that there was a story connected with the one whose remains were interred beneath the sod, the writer asked an old native who resided near by if he could inform him of the circumstances of the case. " Bad story; me tell you," replied the old Indian, and as he lig-hted his pipe I sat down on a log- beside him while he related the following- sad tale: During the palmiest days of the Ottawa Indians, when their arrows broug-ht the crimson blood spouting- forth from many a wild deer and their war-whoops sent terror to the hearts of the braves of contemporary tribes, Weosma, a brave BEAVER ISLAND 65 known as Mormons. Their leader was James J. Strang-, who called himself a "king-," and assumed man}- of the prerog-atives of a monarch. Mr. Strang- was born in Scipio, N. Y., March 21. 1813, but g-rew to man- hood in Chautauqua Count}'. His education was obtained in the public schools of the county, closing- with a course in the Fredonia Academy. He studied law, and was admitted to the bar. In 1843 he settled in Burling-ton, Wis., and some time before the death of Joseph Smith, in 1844, he visited Nauvoo and became a Mormon. After Smith's death, Strang- disputed with Brig-ham Young- the right to lead the church, and succeeded in g-athering- quite a larg-e following- at his "stake of Zion " in Wisconsin. In 1847 he visited Beaver Island, and decided to establish his people there, founding- the villag-e of St. James, which was named in honor of himself. On July 8, 185U, he reorg-an- ized his church and established the "king-dom," and from that day he was known as "King- Strang-." His authority was respected and obeyed by the "Saints," and as cheerfully hated and opposed by the "Gentiles." He controlled the Mormon vote, and was elected to the Leg-islature of 1853, and ag-ain in 1855. The practice of "consecration" led to many conflicts between the Mor- 66 THE OTTAWAN mons and Gentile fishermen in that vicinity. Such expressions as "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof," and, "We are the Lord's chosen people, " stilled the consciences and justified the use of property lawfully owned by others, yet it is undoubtedly true that many depredations were committed by irresponsible persons and deliberately charg-ed to the Mormons. Mr. Strang- had frequent collisions with the authorities at Mackinac, but with his knowledg-e of the law, and his readiness in debate, he cleared himself from every chargfe. At one time the Sheriff of Mackinac County hunted him three days in the wilds of the island with a posse of ten whites and thirty Indians, and offered a reward of $300 for his body, dead or alive, but Mr. Strang- eluded them and avoided arrest. In the spring- of 1856 matters reached a crisis. A resident of the island, Mr. Thomas Bedford, had been publicly flog-g-ed by Mr. Strang-'s authority, and he determined to have reveng-e. He enlisted the support of a few others, among- them Mr. Alex. Wentworth, and they decided to kill Mr. Strang-. The oppor- tunity came on June 20, when the U. S. steamer Michig-an was in the harbor at St. James, Strang- was fatally shot, after which Bedford, Wentworth, and some ki;mi>i:.\( |.; ok jamks j. stkang on bkavek island fku.^ 'KUM LSSU To l,s5o 68 THE OTTAWAN others were taken to Mackinac, " tried," and acc^uitted. After the acquittal, Bedford and his friends org^anized a company at Mackinac and other points near the islands, and returned to St. James and drove from their homes every Mormon except a very few who were willing- to renounce their religion. Strang-'s house and printing- office were ransacked and robbed of everything of value; the taber- nacle was destroyed, and the property of the Mormons confiscated and divided among- the raiders. Warning- was served on the Mormons to lei^ye the island within a specified time. The warning- was heeded, a few going- to Xhe mainland near Charlevoix, but the main body proceeded to Milwaukee and Chicag-o. Mr. Strang was removed to Wisconsin, where he died July 9, 1856. Strang-'s house, which has been raised by recent writers to the dignity of a "royal palace," was substantially built of hewn log's, and after the dispersion of the Mormons it became the mecca of relic hunters, and so continued until 1892, when it was destroyed by fire. Of the present residents of the villag-e of St. James, the majority are Irish Catholics, many of them having- g-one there directly from Ireland. The principal occupation of the people is fishing-, and they live happy and contented in their island home. Q ;•■ ^^ INDIAN LAWSUIT OMETIME during- the year 1830, Dun-a-ag-e-ee, an Indian, killed his niece, a beautiful g^irl of sixteen summers, near Seven Mile Point. The Indians knew that Dun-a-ag-e-ee had committed a terrible crime, and the friends of the young" g-irl wished to punish him as the white people did their criminals, but as they had no method in their native customs of disposing- of such cases, except by barbaric forms, they went for advice to Col. Bo3'd, a white haired veteran of the war of the revolution, who resided at Mackinac Island, and who had much influence among- them. Mr. Boyd, fearing- to make enemies of Dun-a-age-ee's friends, told the Indians he would have nothing to do with the matter and advised them to mete out to the prisoner whatever punish- ment thev found he deserved by some proceedings of their own. After much consultation, the chiefs decided to hold a lawsuit. So a larg-e 70 THE OTTAWAN wig-warn was built on the bluff near Seven Mile Point and all the relatives of the murderer and his victim assembled and also a number of onlookers. On either side of the tent were long" benches, the relatives of Dun-a-ag-e-ee on one side, and those of the murdered g-irl on the other, the oldest member of the family being" seated at the head and so on down. At the head of the tent on an elevated platform, sat A-pock-o-ze-g-un, the g-reat chief of the Ottawas, his person ornamented with feathers and beads and wearing- his beautifull}^ embroidered blanket, as was customary at g-reat events. In the center of the tent were g-reat piles of furs, blankets, butts of tobacco, g-uns, ammunition, etc. Outside were horses, cattle, in fact, everything- that the Indians considered wealth, broug-ht there by the relatives of Dun-a-ag-e-ee to buy their kinsman's liberty. When the time for the trial arrived Chief A-pock-o-ze-g^un arose and made a short, eloquent speech in his native tong-ue. He said they were not g-athered to aveng-e the murdered g-irl, as their priest told them God would do that; but they were there for the purpose of making- peace between the estrang-ed kinsmen. He then produced a caluma (long- pipe), from one of the medicine men pre- AN INDIAN LAWSUIT 71 sent, and, filling- it with tobacco lit it by a flint and steel. After he had taken a long- puff he presented it to the first of Dun-a-age-ee's relatives, his father, who smoked it as a token of peace. The chief said, " Me-sa-gwa-uck," which means "that's right," and passed it to the next man, who likewise took a puff, and so on, to the end of that row. The chief then passed the pipe to the first one on the other side, a girl, who, after some hesitation, took it and smoked. All followed her example, down to the first of two of the girl's brothers, who sat at the upper end. The brother shook his head and said "kaw" (no). The chief muttered "too bad," and taking the pipe, emptied it of its con- tents. Then he refilled it, and lighting it, handed it to the last brother. "Kaw! kaw!" he said, indignantly, and turning to his other brothers and sisters, who had smoked the pipe of peace, he rebuked them fiercely, saying that for those few articles they were willing to sacrifice their sister's life, but that he would not rest till he had killed the villain. The friends of Dun-a-age-ee advised him to fly lest the brother kill him, and he accordingly left for the Saginaws, where he remained until the man who had sworn the vendetta was dead. 10 B ^™^SEA SERPENT ESIDES its natural beauties and historical interest, Little Traverse Bay presents another attraction of a peculiar nature which in late 3'ears has caused much interest throug-hout the countr}-. We hav^e reference to the famous sea serpent. The Indians have alwa3's claimed that some g-reat marine monster inhabited the bay, but, of course, as these people are very superstitious, their belief should be g-iven little credence. Yet the appearance of some strang-e creature in the waters of the ba}- may have had something- to do with the orig-in of their leg-end. Several times in late years different persons claim to have seen while in a boat and oftentimes from the shore a g-reat monster in the bay. On one occasion while a steamer was carrying- a crowd of pleasure seekers from Petoskey to Charlevoix, a larg-e number of the excursionists viewed tog-ether what appeared to be a long- serpent making- its wa^- at a rapid rate throug-h the water. THE SEA SERPENT 73 Many people, however, disclaim the stories and say it is all iniag-ination. But if people are subject to optical illusions, the camera is not. The accompan}-- ing- picture of the serpent was taken from the steam ferry "Adrienne " while crossing' the bay from Petoskey to Harbor Springs in June, 1895. That it was not a log" is vouchsafed for by the fact that it disappeared from view as the boat approached it. Whether the object was a liv- ing thing- or not remains a mystery. '*^^ 4^ itfiH ii I iKiii^ U' 74 THE OTTAWAN Some of the people residing- upon the bay, whose enthusiasm g-ot the better of their judg-ment, obtained a distorted log- and tried to palm it off as the sea serpent, but the object seen so many times in the waters of Little Traverse Bay, is something of a far different nature than an ordinary log-. No doubt imag-ination has had much to do with this sea serpent, but it would not be very surprising if a marine monster of some description had taken a particular fancy to the surrounding-s of the bay and had made it his home, allowing- himself to be seen just often enoug-h to arouse the curiosity of the people. WEOSMA: A TALE OF THK OTTAWAS 77 warrior and hunter, whose aim was perfect and whose foot was as lig-ht as a fleeting- deer's, resided with his ag-ed mother among- a peaceful clan of these Indians who had pitched their tents where Cross Villag-e now stands. All the young- maidens of the villag-e vied with each other in trying- to win this brave young- hunter's hand, but he was heedless to their attentions and lived happily in the company of his mother. But as Cupid was not absent, only sleeping-, the wanting- one at last appeared and awoke the nymph of love to his hig-hest pitch, and Weosma was a victim as helpless as any ever was before. His enamorate was Enewah, the bewitching- daug-hter of a great chief who ruled over the tribe in the reg-ion of Little Traverse. Weosma had first met her while on a hunting- expedition and ever after that eventful day his life was not the same; he was unhappy when out of her company and he exerted himself in performing brave deeds that he might be worthy of Enewah's love. Enewah in turn looked with favor upon his attentions and their wedding day was fixed, and all looked bright and promising for the future life of the happy couple. But like the adder that stingeth in the dark, an evil one appeared upon the LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 78 THE OTTAWAN ® ®^^ ®^"^ 884 3 scene, who by the fertility of a reveng-eful brain, forev.er blig-hted their happy life. Amo, a rejected suitor of Knewah's, had sworn revenge upon the fair young- maiden, and now came a glorious opportunity to carry out his vendetta. Great preparations had been made for the wedding day. As Weosma was a very popular young man, all the chiefs and medicine men of the tribe were to hold a great feast in honor of his success. The evening previous to the great occasion Amo arrived at Enewah's wigwam in breathless haste and warned the girl not to marry a young man who was already betrothed to a woman of another tribe, which, to the Ottawas, was a great crime. Enewah only laughed in scorn at Amo's scheme and turned away, saying that Weosma was too good a man to do anything of that sort. Then Amo told the story to her father, the great chief, who thinking him his friend, forbid his daughter marry- ing such a scoundrel as Weosma was proven to be. When Weosma arrived eit Enewah's wigwam that evening to finish prepara- tions for the next day, the chief received him very coldly and told him what he \^ LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 78 THE OTTAWAN 016 097 884 3 scene, who by the fertility of a reveng-eful brain, forev.er blig-hted their happy life. Amo, a rejected suitor of Enewah's, had sworn reveng-e upon the fair young- maiden, and now came a g-lorious opportunity to carry out his vendetta. Great preparations had been made for the wedding- day. As Weosma was a very popular ^'oung- man, all the chiefs and medicine men of the tribe were to hold a g-reat feast in honor of his success. The evening- previous to the g-reat occasion Amo arrived at Enewah's wig-wam in breathless haste and warned the g-irl not to marry a young man who was already betrothed to a woman of another tribe, which, to the Ottawas, was a g-reat crime. Enewah only laughed in scorn at Amo's scheme and turned away, saying- that Weosma was too good a man to do anything- of that sort. Then Amo told the story to her father, the g-reat chief, who thinking- him his friend, forbid his daughter marry- ing- such a scoundrel as Weosma was proven to be. When Weosma arrived at Enewah's wigwam that evening- to finish prepara- tions for the next day, the chief received him very coldly and told him what he