SwtM - Beaver Island Traditional Geocache

This cache has been archived.

The Mitten Crew: Year Nine of Smitten with the Mitten series has come to a close.

Thanks to all who visited the caches in this summer series and learned a bit about Islands in Michigan.

The caches will be picked up over the next few days.

We cannot guarantee they will still be there if you go out for them, but to quote the movie Dumb and Dumber, "So what you're saying is ... there's a chance"

Be sure to get your pathtag requests in by September 11th.

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Hidden : 5/1/2018
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
4 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:


Note: This cache is on an island in the Flat River. It will require wading to get to (shouldn't be above your knees depending on where you wade and time of the summer). If you do not feel comfortable attempting this geocache, see the hint on this page.

Beaver Island is the largest island in Lake Michigan and part of the Beaver Island archipelago. In 1856, it was home to a unique American religious colony monarchy (theocracy), under the self-appointed "King Strang," leader of the Strangite Mormon Church. Beaver Island was later settled by Irish Americans. The island is now a popular tourist and vacation destination.

Beaver Island lies approximately 32 miles from the city of Charlevoix on the mainland and can only be reached by air or boat. There are two lighthouses on the island, Beaver Island Harbor Light (St. James Light) built in 1870, on the north side of the island is still an aid to navigation. Beaver Island Head Lighthouse on the southern end of the island, built in 1858, was deactivated in 1961.

Although Beaver Island is known mostly today for its beaches, forests, recreational harbor and seclusion, at one time it was the site of a unique Mormon kingdom.

The island's association with Mormonism began with the death of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Most Latter Day Saints considered Brigham Young to be Smith's successor, but many others followed James J. Strang. Strang founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite), claiming it to be the sole legitimate continuation of the church restored by Joseph Smith. His organization still exists today (though not on Beaver Island), numbering up to 300 adherents. His group initially settled in Voree, Wisconsin Territory, in 1844, establishing a community there that remains to this day and is an unincorporated community within the town of Burlington, Wisconsin.

Seeking a buffer from persecution, Strang moved his followers from Voree to Beaver Island in 1848. The Strangites flourished under Strang's leadership and became a political power in the region. They founded the town of St. James (named after Strang) and built a road called "King's Highway" into the island's interior that remains one of its main thoroughfares. The Strangites cleared land, built cabins, farms and other improvements, and sought to establish themselves as a permanent presence on Beaver Island.

Strang was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 1853 and again in 1855. He also founded the first newspaper in Northern Michigan, the Northern Islander. During Strang's stint in the legislature, he made Beaver the center of a new county: Manitou County included the Beaver Islands, Fox Islands, North Manitou, and South Manitou islands, with the county seat at St. James. Manitou County was disestablished by the state of Michigan in 1895.

Once established on Beaver Island, Strang declared himself a polygamist, a practice which he had previously opposed. He had five wives and fathered a total of fourteen children.

In 1850, Strang proclaimed himself king, but not of the island itself. Rather, he claimed to be king over his church, which at that time contained most of the island's inhabitants. He was crowned on July 8 of that year inside a large log "tabernacle" built by his followers, in an elaborate ceremony. The Strangite tabernacle and Strang's house are both long gone, as are the Strangite royal regalia, but a print shop built by his disciples remains—the only Strangite building left on Beaver. Today, it houses a museum dedicated to the island's history.

Strang and his followers often clashed with their non-Strangite neighbors on Beaver Island and adjacent areas. While claiming to be king only over his own adherents, Strang tended to exert authority over non-Strangites on the island as well, and was regularly accused of forcibly seizing their property and of physically assaulting them. Open hostility between the two groups frequently resulted in violence. Strangites were beaten by ruffians at the post office, while Strang once fired a cannon at an unruly group of drunken fishermen who had threatened to drive his people from the island. Strangites held an increasing monopoly on local government, blurring the distinction between church and state.

While Strang held many progressive ideas such as the conservation of woodlands, his autocratic style of rule came to be seen by many as intolerable. One edict, for instance, dictated the type of clothing Strangite women must wear (see bloomers). Two women refused and Strang had their husbands flogged, a task made easier after one of them was caught in the act of adultery with the wife of his business partner.

While recovering from their injuries, the husbands began plotting against Strang. On June 16, 1856, the US naval gunboat USS Michigan entered the harbor at St. James and invited Strang aboard. As Strang walked down the dock, the two men shot him from behind and then ran to the ship. The boat departed and disembarked the men at Mackinac Island without arresting them. Neither was convicted of the crime.

After Strang died of his wounds on July 9, 1856, mobs came from Mackinac Island and nearby St. Helena Island and drove the Strangites (then numbering approximately 2,600 persons) off Beaver Island, confiscating their property. With the Strangites' departure, local government in Manitou County (including Beaver Island) all but ceased. Courts and elections were rarely held, County offices were usually unfilled, and the area acquired a lawless reputation affirmed by the Michigan Governor in 1877 when he called for the county's abolition. A bill was introduced, but failed to pass. A new attempt in 1895 was successful, and the Beaver Islands became part of Charlevoix County while Fox and Manitou islands became part of Leelanau County.

Irish fishermen from Gull Island, Mackinac Island, various port cities on the mainland, and County Donegal in Ireland quickly replaced the Strangites on Beaver Island. Their community, increased by more Irish immigration, would develop a unique identity that was enhanced by the island's isolation from the mainland. Church services and even ordinary conversations were conducted in Gaelic for many years. By the mid-1880s, Beaver Island had become the largest supplier of fresh-water fish consumed in the United States, but overfishing and changes in technology brought this to an end by the beginning of the 20th century. Beaver Island bills itself as "America's Emerald Isle", partly reflecting the fact that many of its residents are of Irish descent.
Visit 14 geocaches in the SwtM series. At each geocache collect a letter and number combination. Insert them into the phrase: FiTS LIKe A GlOVE
Use the coordinates from the phrase to find the final geocache and become a Mitten Master
Power Island North Manitou South Manitou
Belle Isle Mackinac Island Isle Royale
Sugar Island High Island Harsens Island
Garden Island Fox Islands Drummond Island
Grosse Ile Beaver Island Mitten Master

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Vs sbe nal ernfba lbh qb abg jnag gb jnqr gb gur vfynaq, ab ceboyrz. Lbh jba'g trg perqvg sbe gur svaq ba guvf pnpur, ohg lbh pna fgvyy svaq Zvggra Znfgre. Urer vf gur yrggre/ahzore pbzovangvba gung vf va guvf pnpur: S=4

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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