USA > Michigan > A history of the northern peninsula of Michigan and its people, its mining, lumber and agricultural industries, Volume I > Part 34
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For some years Joseph Smith, the apostle of Mormanism, had been floating on the high tide of prosperity, and from his home at Nauvoo, Illinois, missionaries had gone forth until over a hundred thousand fol- lowers had been brought within the radins of his influence, and in his home he was absohite monarch. commanding a legion of armed men and being the civil head of a prosperous community, whose people,
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thongh frugal und industrions, were fanatieal in the extreme, believ- ing in their ruler as divine, according to his utterances the sanctity of divine command and prophecy, and yielding to him implicit obedience. Strang had read, while still in the east, of the Morman trimmphs that had come to the Prophet of Nauvoo, and of the desire of the leader to enlarge his feld of work and influence, and to employ young men of plansible speech, energy, and affahle appearance in the work, and. in Jannary, 1844, soon after his removal to Wisconsin, he visited Nanvoo to meet the much heralded "American Mohammed."
It is evident that Smith promptly recognized in Strang those ele- ments that were in demand for the work in hand. for he seems to have met with instant favor and rapid promotion. February 25th he was baptised; March 3rd was ordained an " Elder of the Mormon Church," and received at once as a trusted member of its ministry. He was as- signed to Wisconsin as his special field of labor, and applied at once to found in that state a branch of the Mormon church, or, in the language of the seet, "to plant a state of Zion."
Just at this juncture breakers appeared in the course of Joseph Smith, and, at the instance of the opponents of Mormonism, Joseph Smith and Hiram Smith were surrendered to the governor of Illinois and lodged in jail at Carthage, whence they were taken out and mur- dered by a mob.
James Strang, who had then been a member of the church far less than five months, promptly made claim to the right of succession to the position of Joseph Smith, and in doing so he prodneed what purported to be an autograph letter from Joseph Smith, dated June 18th, and bearing the postmark of Nauvoo, of June 19th. It was claimed by sev- eral witnesses to have been received in the mail at Burlington, Wiscon- sin, July 9th. The letter was dated nine days in advance of the murder of Joseph and was said to have reached Burlington a week before the news of that tragedy. The letter gave details of a vision in which "the spirit of Elijah came upon" the Mormon prophet and "the voice of God" said . . . .. My servant Joseph, thon hast heen faithful over many things, and thy reward is glorions; the crown and sceptre are thine, and they await thee. But thou hast sinned in some things and thy punishment is hitter. The whirlwind goeth before, and its clouds are dark, but rest followeth, and to its days there shall be no end. Study the wards of the vision for it tarrieth not.
" And now behold my servant James J. Strang hath come to thee from afar for truth when he knew it not. and hath not rejected it. hnt hath faith in thee. the Shepherd and Stone of Israel, and to him shall the gathering of the people be. for he shall plant a state of Zion in Wisconsin, and I will establish it; and there shall my people have peace and rest, and shall not be moved, for it shall be established on White River. in the lands of Racine and Walworth, ยท and I will have a house built unto me there of stone, and there will I show myself to my people by many mighty works, and the name of the city
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shall be ealled Voree. which is, being interpreted. Garden of Peace, for there shall my people have peace and rest, and wax fat and pleasant in the presence of their enemies."
The apostles of the church promptly pronounced Strang a presumptu- ous imposter and the letter a forgery, and they excommunicated him, and drove him from the field of Nauvoo, but he continued to assert his title in sermons and pastoral letters throughout Wisconsin, with the re- sult that he soon gained a small following with whom he founded the "City of Voree" at Spring Prairie, where he organized his colony on the theory of a community in property ownership. There Strang estab- lished and published the Voree Herald as the organ of "the primitive Mormons." and as their prophet he was tireless in his labor and skillful in his methods of duping the credulous, wherein he closely imitated those by which Joseph Smith had been successful in the advocacy of his su- pernatural elaims.
Brigham Young soon thereafter, as the "Lion of the Lord," was rec- ognized as Prophet at Nanvoo, and with the advance of civilization about that place, he led his followers, constituting a large majority of the "saints," to his newly-chosen field in Utah, while others became follow- ers of Strang at Voree.
As Joseph had found in the Ontario hills a volume in which the chronicles of the Book of Mormon were preserved in characters "trans- latable only by the crystalline Urim and Thummin." so the self styled Prophet "James" discovered in the banks of the White river a miracu- lously preserved record of the downfall of a great tribe of Israelites that had inhabited the continent centuries ago, and wherein was foretold the coming in the future ages of a mighty "prophet" who "should bring forth the record." Strang found witnesses who declared that on Sep- tember 14, 1845, they were led by him to a certain hill near the White river bridge, where, after digging through the unbroken sward and solid clay that had been manifestly undisturbed for many years, un- derneath the network of roots of a large oak tree they found a case of baked earthenware containing three brazen plates, both sides of which were used to preserve "an alphabetic and pictorial record."
Following this "miraculous" discovery, while in a trance, the Urim and Thummin were "brought by an angel of God to the Prophet 'James,' " and the records on the "Voree plates" were translated as follows :
" My people are no more. The mighty are fallen, and the young men slain in battle. Their bones bleached on the plains by the noon day shadow. The honses are leveled with the dust, and in the moat are the walls. They shall he inhabited. I have in the burial served them; and their bones in the death shade, towards the sun's rising, are covered.
"They sleep with the mighty dead, and they rest with their fathers. They have fallen in transgression and are not; but the elect and faithful there shall dwell. The word hath revealed it. God hath sworn to give an inheritance to His people where transgressors perished. The word of God came to me while I mourned in the death shade, saying, I will avenge me on the destroyer. They shall be driven out. Other strangers shall inhabit thy land. I an ensign will then set up. The escaped
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of my people there shall dwell, when the flock disowns the shepherd, and build not on the rock.
"The forerunner, men shall kill, but a mighty prophet there shall dwell. I will be his strength, and he shall bring forth the record. Record my word, and bury it in the hill of promise.
"RAJAH MANCHORE. "
Subsequently Strang made claim of discovery of eighteen other me- tallie sheets 9 by 71/2 inches in size, called "The plates of Laban," and they were declared to have been written prior to the "Babylonish cap- tivity." A translation of the writing on these plates, in addition to nine sections of "direct revelations" composed "The Book of the Law of the Lord." printed and published later on Beaver island, "By Com- mand of the King, at the Royal Press, Saint James, A. R. I."
Strang's community at Voree prospered and increased in numbers, and, in 1846, his rival. Brigham Young, having gone west, Strang vis- ited the Northern Michigan archipelago, and determined to plant a col- ony there. In May, 1847, with four companions, he went thither and explored Beaver island. It is recorded that the few fishermen and traders already there received them with the reverse of hospitality, but, as was the custom of explorers in those days, they built a camp of hem- lock boughs, and they were, while there, compelled to live on the seanty fare which the woods and the swamps afforded them. During that sea- son five Mormon families permanently settled on the island at Beaver Harbor. The next year a score of families came, and in 1849 the men- bership of the colony numbered into the hundreds. Their gentile neigh- bors strennously resisted the immigration of the new seet to the island, but they were perservering, were a sober and industrious people, and soon acquired mastery of the situation. Their village was named after its founder, the "City of Saint James," which was soon shortened to its present title, that of "St. James." and the beautiful bay in the north end of the island was called "St. James Bay." From the large lake in the interior of the island a river outlet flowed to the bay, and this was named "The Jordan." while an interior lake was named the "Sea of Galilee." A road was built into the interior, and a saw-mill constructed to supply the necessities of the growing colony. and a schooner was built and launched as a means of communication with the outside world. The missionary work was pushed forward to such an extent that in 1850 large numbers of converts joined the colony, and St. James was made the permanent headquarters of the new church, and at the annual conference, in July of that year. it was re-organized as a "Kingdom" with Strang as "King," and to his title of office was af- fixed also the titles "Apostle, Prophet, Seer, Revelator and Translator."
The communal plan was abandoned and the lands of the church were apportioned among its members. By a system of tythes the taxes were paid, including the care of the poor, and all general expenses. There were numerous counsellors and subordinates to the King, to do his bid- ding and execute his commands, but his own energetic personality was
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injected into affairs in general, and schools were started for the chil- dreu, and debating clubs for the adults. A well equipped printing- press was installed, denominated the "Royal Press," from which were issued the orders of the king, and a newspaper, The Northern Islander. which was. at first a weekly and fually a daily publication. It is said that the appearance and literary merits of this paper surprised the or- rasional tourists to this then remote and frontier region.
In the government of the island the principle of prohibition was rigidly enforced, and applied, not only to liquor, but to tea, coffee and tobacco as well. and the observance of Saturday as the Sabbath, and the attendance at church upon that day were compulsory. Rigorous penal- ties were provided for the offense of prostitution. but polygamy was sanctioned; though there were not to exceed twenty or twenty-five po- lygamons families in the colony. King Strang himself had five wives. but no other person had to exceed three, and it was required that ability to support a large family should be shown as a prerequisite to a plural marriage.
From the Royal Press above mentioned was issued "The Book of the Law of the Lord," which was claimed to be of divine origin, and it had the sanetion of the King. It consists of a series of precepts relat- ing to spiritual and temporal affairs written in imagery of the Bible. It was implicitly received by that entire colony as a "revelation miraen- lonsly transmitted, through a divinely appointed monarch. to his fav- ored subjects." Copies of it are now prized as curios in connection with an unusual experience in frontier history. In its dealings with temporal affairs the book contains minute rules as to diet, attire and per- sonal habits, the construction of dwellings and roads, the care of for- ests. and other details of domestic frugality and nmunicipal economy. and those who dispute its divine origin must admit that its author was possessed of ability and a fund of useful information.
The construction of a tabernacle was commenced and other improve- ments for the comfort of the colony were institnted. The "King's Highway" still exists and its name continues, as it were, as an echo of the sentiment that then ruled a kingdom within this republic.
One of the domestic orders was to the effect that all women must wear the short skirts and ample pantalets of the bloomer costume, and while this was generally obeyed it was the canse of some friction that eventually resulted disastrously to both the king and his kingdom.
Though this Mormon colony grew to a population of about 2,000 it never attained a civilization approaching that of Salt Lake City ; and the men are spoken of as generally rough and illiterate, and most of the women as sensual and ignorant, though Strang, himself, was "vig- orous, intelligent, fluent in speech, of suave manners and very compan- ionable." He was a master of oratory and "skilled in the art of appeal- ing to the untrained sensibilities of his hearers." At times his author- ity was resisted by some of the more intelligent of his followers, but he received such unfailing support from the majority that resistance was ineffective.
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Notwithstanding all the faith of his followers, the ruler of this island kingdom was never able to establish relations upon a peace foot- ing with the gentile neighbors of the islands and neighboring mainlands, whose resistance to Mormon rule sometimes took the form of interference with their meetings, and was met by retaliation after the Mormon col- ony had grown to strength. This continued until the differences de- veloped into a fierce, bloody, border-fend that existed for a period of some six years, during which time the Mormons gradually made gains until they became almost sole possessors of the islands, and were heartily hated and feared along the entire mainland coasts.
In his diplomaey Strang established friendly relations with the In- dians of the vicinity; despite their intimate relationship with the traders who were his bitter enemies.
During the continuance of the border warfare grave accusations of piracy, robbery and other crimes were freely made against the inhab- itants of the islands, and in 1851 the United States officials became con- vineed not only that the charge of piracy was true, but that the is- landers had robbed the United States mails, trespassed upon the gov- ernment domain and harbored counterfeiters. Of a sudden in May, 1851, the United States war steamer "Michigan" appeared in Beaver Harbor, with the United States marshal and district attorney on board, Strang and about twenty of his followers gracefully submitted to ar- rest, and were taken to Detroit and put upon trial, which lasted twenty days hefore Judge Wilkins of the United States district court.
With the assistance of Andrew T. MeReynolds, Strang conducted the defense which resulted in acquittal. The verdict is generally attributed to the magnetic effect upon the jury of the dramatic defensive plea of Strang, wherein he posed before the jury as "one persecuted for right- eonsness sake." His vietorions return to his Kingdom gained for him added prestige and power, and he easily curried the next county elec- tion in Mackinac county, in the fall of 1851, and within the fold of the Mormon church were to be found the newly elected sheriff. prosecutor und other important officials, while in 1853 Strang successfully won his own election to the office of representative in the legislature of Mich- igan, in which body he served with such ability as to win the commen- dation of the people in general. But the situation was a novel one, in that a King who ruled his own people with laws of his own making. sat as representative in a legislature to assist in the government of a re- publican state; and when, after assisting in the making of the laws for the government of the people of the whole state, he returned to his island home, his word alone was law, and he ruled with an absolute au- thority for the ensuing two years. In the conference of 1855 he sternly denounced tea-drinkers, tobacco users and other transgressors, and said : "The law of God shall be kept in this land or men shall walk over my dead body." This furnished a source of disaffection, to which he added by his systematic efforts to induce his followers more generally to adopt polygamy, so that some of the more enlightened Mormons became dis-
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gusted with his pretensions and disgruntled by his imposture, and left his church and joined the forces of the Gentiles. H. D. McCulloch, an edneated physician of Baltimore and an ex-surgeon of the United States army, but a man of unfortunate habits, had become one of the most ea- pable of Strang's disciples, and, in him, nihilism on the island found an organizing head. In the winter of 1855 difference with his superior ended with his deposition from office in the church, and in the spring he left the island, joined the Gentiles of the coast, and infused into them renewed eagerness for the overthrow of Mormon rule.
Among the disaffected of the church were also Thomas Bedford and William Wentworth, whose wives had persistently rebelled against the order for the wearing of the bloomer costume; they upheld their wives in this rebellion and were ready for any scheme of vengeance. Bedford had met with a horse-whipping, and while it could not be traced abso- lutely to the King's command, it was at the hands of his people and it did not receive his disapproval. Wentworth was publicly rebuked for some claimed disobedience of the law of the church. These men pub- lished their grievances and pointed out the growth of polygamy on the island under the leadership and practice of Strang. It is said that Bedford, immediately after his punishment, determined to kill Strang; and Wentworth and MeCulloch, having each his own grievance, joined him in a conspiracy to accomplish that end and to overthrow the king- dom.
MeCulloch went to Lansing and laid the matter before Governor Bingham, and through his influence the "Michigan" was again sent to the island and there entered the harbor June 16, 1856. The captain sent an invitation to Strang to come on board, which invitation he hesi- tated to accept, but in the afternoon of that day he determined to do so and left his home for that purpose. As he was abont to step upon the pier to enter the boat Bedford and Wentworth sprang from behind a wood-pile and fired upon him with revolvers, and Strang fell mortally wounded, twice in the head and once in the region of the spine. His assailants immediately went aboard the boat and surrendered them- selves, and were taken to Maekinae where they were received with cheers by the crowd that had come to cherish an undying hatred for Strang and his church. They were never put upon trial, but were rather looked upon as heroes.
Strang did not die immediately, but was taken to Voree, where he received the devoted care of the lawful wife of his early manhood, an estimable woman who had rejected his "revelations," but had herself remained faithful to her belief in the life-long continuance of the mar- riage vow. He died July 9, 1856, and was buried in the "Cemetery of the Saints" at Spring Prairie.
The kingdom did not Jong survive the king. Some of his followers left on the same boat that. carried their dying king. His assassination was the signal to an irritated populace to seek revenge, and there gath- ered from the islands and the neighboring mainlands, nn exasperated,
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armed mob, on pillige bent. The tabernacle was burned, the printing office sacked, the King's library was destroyed and his house pillaged. The faithful among the "Saints" were given one day to leave the island with their movables, and even then they were driven abonrd boats with- out the privilege of securing the property they had gathered to take with them. Much property was destroyed by the invaders by means of axe and torch, but the homesteads were seized und occupied. It was a banishment which demands for many of those who were driven forth from their homes the pity of a righteous public; and the vengeance of that ruthless mob can find no justification even in the outrageous practices of the imposter king and those who fell victims to his magnetic suavity.
The King and his kingdom ended ignominiously, and with the rec- ord of this rise and fall of "A Kingdom within a Republic," it is par- donable to digress sufficiently from the realm of history to draw atten- tion of the thoughts of our readers to "what might have been," had the ability and energy of this gifted man been directed toward the develop- ment of the country within the lines of republican institutions and on a morul, Inw-abiding basis; or "what might have been" had the environ- ment been more conducive to the growth of the teaching of this apostle of Mormonism. But, deprecating the methods of its procurement, let us be thankful for the early ending of the reign of Mormonism in Mich- igan.
In justice to Mr. Strang it should be recorded, as a set-off to the evils of his misdirected efforts, that he was an intelligent student of natural history, and among other approved writings he contributed to the Smith- sonian Institution a report on the "Natural History of Benver Island" and wrote and published a book called "Ancient and Modern Michili- mackinac."
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CHAPTER XV COPPER AND IRON MINING
ANCIENT COPPER MINING-MODERN DISCOVERY OF ANCIENT MINE- FRENCH ACCOUNTS OF COPPER COUNTRY-ENGLISH COPPER REPORTS -DR. HOUGHTON'S FAMOUS REPORT-ARRIVAL OF PRACTICAL COR- NISHMEN-FIRST EFFORTS AT SMELTING-THE KEWEENAW FORMA- TION-COPPER FOUND ELSEWHERE-INDUSTRY SINCE 1845-FIRST IRON EXPLORATIONS-IMPROVEMENTS IN HANDLING ORE-THE ME- NOMINEE RANGE-THE CHICAGO & NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY-FIRST COMMERCIAL DISCOVERIES-DR. N. P. HULST AND THE LOWER ME- NOMINEE-THE QUINNESEC MINE-THE PIONEER PROMOTERS- GOGEBIC RANGE-GRAND TOTAL OF PRODUCTION.
Of the three great staple industries that became active in the Upper Peninsula in the middle of the nineteenth century, copper was first to attract the attention of the world and was most potent in drawing hither permanent settlers, and thus in inducing local development. It has continued to maintain a decidedly prominent position in the wonder- ful world-development of the past sixty years-the most mtvelons the world has ever known,-and it has given to its native locality a continu- ous prosperity that few, if any other localities, can boast.
ANCIENT COPPER MINING
The Northern Michigan, or, as it is commonly called the Lake Supe- rior Copper was first called to the attention of eastern civilization in the period just prior to the coming of the early Jesuit missionaries, in the seventeenth century, but it was known to and mined by the savage inhabitants of this country at a much eurlier day. There is no record, and no anthentie proof of when or by whom the ancient mining was done, but there is positive proof that it was done by some one, and that to quite an extent, several centuries ago; probably four or five.
When the Europeans visited this locality, they found the Chippe- was in control of the entire Michigan copper country, and that nation
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continued in that control until the release thereof to the government of the United States in 1843. The Chippewas claim to have controlled the country for over four hundred years, and to have displaced the Mascou- tins, who were their predecessors; and the story among the Chippewas was that the Mascoutins were the ones who condneted the ancient min- ing.
Evidences of that ancient mining have been found in various parts of the copper district, but the locations of greatest activity were appar- ently at Isle Royal, and in the vicinity of Ontonagon. It has been claimed that the fact that the greatest part of the mining was close to the shore indicates that the early miners were navigators of the lakes and came by boats to secure the products. It is, however, true that overland trails from lower Wisconsin and Ilinois, reaching the copper country, via Shawano, Wisconsin, and making a ford of the Menominee river at the Wausaukee Bend, existed when the first settlers came here. These trails, by being so deeply worn, indicated long usage, and it is argued, and plansibly, that the Indians from below came in over this trail to barter their products for the copper of this locality; or, that the copper-mining Indians travelled over this trail carrying their copper or copper utensils to barter with the Indians of the southern prairies. It is certain that the trail was much used for considerable time after the coming of white settlers, and Indians continued to use copper imple- ments long after the ancient mining became a matter of tradition.
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