The Mormon King of Beaver Island
THE COMPLETE, UNCUT STORY OF JAMES JESSE STRang
The Succession Crisis After Joseph Smith’s Death
(1844)
When Joseph Smith was killed in Carthage Jail in 1844, the LDS Church had no clear succession plan. Several men claimed the right to lead:
Brigham Young
(President of the Quorum of the Twelve)
Sidney Rigdon
(Smith’s former counselor)
James Jesse Strang
(a recent convert, lawyer, and charismatic preacher)
Others
William Smith, Lyman Wight, etc.
Strang’s claim was the most shocking.
He said Joseph Smith had written him a letter of appointment naming him successor — a letter Strang produced publicly.
The letter’s authenticity is still debated, but at the time it convinced many.
Strang’s Rise: Charismatic, Brilliant, and Dangerous
Strang was:
highly intelligent
legally trained
a gifted orator
ambitious
and, frankly, a bit of a megalomaniac
He quickly gathered followers, especially those who disliked Brigham Young or distrusted the Twelve Apostles.
He founded his own church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite).
At its peak, it had several thousand members.
The Move to Beaver Island, Michigan
(1847)
Strang claimed a revelation directing him to Beaver Island in Lake Michigan — a remote, sparsely populated island perfect for building a theocratic community.
He and his followers:
settled the island
built homes, farms, and a printing press
established a militia
controlled local courts and government
imposed strict religious laws
Strang’s rule was absolute.
Strang Declares Himself KING
(1850)
Yes — literally.
In 1850, Strang held a coronation ceremony where he was crowned:
“King of the Kingdom of God on Earth.”
He wore royal robes. He had a crown. He had a throne. He had a royal guard.
This was not symbolic — he meant it.
His followers accepted him as a divinely appointed monarch.
Strang Introduces Polygamy
(After Denying It)
At first, Strang publicly condemned Brigham Young’s polygamy.
Then — surprise — he introduced his own version.
He eventually took five wives, including the famous Elvira Field, who disguised herself as a man (“Charles Douglass”) while traveling with him.
This hypocrisy caused internal tension but didn’t break his power.
Conflict With Non‑Mormon Settlers
Beaver Island wasn’t empty. There were Irish fishermen and other settlers who:
hated Strang
hated his laws
hated his control of local courts
hated his militia
hated his taxes
hated his polygamy
Tensions escalated into violence, arrests, and retaliations.
Strang’s followers were accused of:
stealing from non‑Mormons
intimidating rivals
controlling trade
using the militia to enforce church law
Whether all accusations were true is debated — but the hostility was real.
The U.S. Government Gets Involved
Complaints poured into Washington.
Federal officials saw Strang as:
a theocratic ruler
a threat to federal authority
a destabilizing force in the Great Lakes region
Strang was arrested multiple times and taken to Detroit for trial — but he defended himself brilliantly and was acquitted.
This only increased his legend.
The Breaking Point: The “Dress Code” Incident
(1856)
Strang ordered two of his followers to be publicly whipped for violating his strict dress code for women.
The men — Thomas Bedford and Alexander Wentworth — were humiliated and furious.
They plotted revenge.
The Assassination
(June 16, 1856)
As Strang walked down the dock to board a U.S. Navy ship (the USS Michigan), Bedford and Wentworth ambushed him:
They shot him in the back.
Then pistol‑whipped him.
The U.S. Navy crew did nothing to stop them.
The assassins immediately surrendered to the Navy — and were never punished.
Strang lingered for weeks and died on July 9, 1856.
His killers walked free.
This is widely seen as tacit federal approval of removing him.
The Violent Expulsion of the Strangites
With Strang dead, mobs of non‑Mormon settlers and Great Lakes sailors descended on Beaver Island.
They:
burned homes
looted property
forced Strang’s followers onto boats
expelled them from the island
scattered them across Wisconsin and Michigan
It was a full‑scale purge.
The U.S. government did not intervene.
What Happened to the Strangites Afterward
The Strangite church still exists today, though tiny (a few hundred members).
They believe:
Strang was the true successor to Joseph Smith
Brigham Young was an apostate
the LDS Church went astray
Strang’s revelations were legitimate
They maintain small congregations in Wisconsin and elsewhere.
Beaver Island today has almost no trace of the kingdom.
Why Strang Matters in the Bigger Mormon Story
Strang’s saga shows:
how chaotic the succession crisis was
how many early Mormons rejected Brigham Young
how theocratic experiments clashed with American law
how violently the government and locals responded
how splinter groups formed long before the polygamy crackdown in Utah
He is the forgotten third branch of early Mormonism.