BEAVER ISLAND

also called Big Beaver Island, largest of an island group in northeastern Lake Michigan, U.S., 35 mi (56 km) west of the resort city of Charlevoix, Mich. It extends about 14 mi in length and is 3 to 6 mi wide. It is administered as part of Charlevoix County. French explorers called it le du Castor (for the castors ["beavers"] found there), and a French settlement (abandoned 1603) was one of the earliest in the area. In 1847 James Jesse Strang took over the island for his Mormon colony, was crowned "king," established his "capital" at St. James, and exercised spiritual and temporal authority. Strang's tyrannical rule aroused resentment among both his followers and people on the mainland, which led to his assassination in 1856 and the disintegration of his "kingdom." The Mormons left in 1895. Irish fishermen then occupied the island, which is now popular with anglers, hunters, and boaters. St. James, the island's only village, with some buildings dating from the Mormon period, has air and ferryboat connections with Charlevoix. Pop. (1990) St. James township, 276.