Tag Archives: Beaver Island

Introducing King Strang: Imperial Primate of the Halcyon Order of the Illuminati

By Mark | September 3, 2013

The fellow pictured above is James Jesse Strang, the self-proclaimed prophet who, upon the death of Joseph Smith on June 27, 1844, mounted a nearly successful attempt to wrench control of the Mormon church from Brigham Young. His presence continues to loom large over Michigan’s Beaver Island, where I spent this past weekend, and where […]

Posted in Agriculture, History, Michigan, Uncategorized | Also tagged angels, Ben Perce, Bill Cashman, Burlington, Caleb Barnes, Carthage, Charlie J. Douglas, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, con men, cross-dressing, cults, Elvira Eliza Field, forgeries, Halcyon Order of the Illuminati, Huckleberry Finn, Illinois, Imperial Primate, Isaac Scott, King Strang, Mark Twain, Millard Fillmore, monogamy, Mormon, Nauvoo, polygamy, revelation, Strangite, USS Michigan, utopian communities, Voree, Voree plates, Voree Tablets | 30 Comments

Escape to Beaver Island

By Mark | September 1, 2013

I’m sorry for running off and leaving you these past few days, but I needed a break. Clementine and I, desperate for a little father-daughter time away from the hassle of everyday life, headed north to Beaver Island, where we crashed with some old friends. And, for the first time in over a decade, I […]