The King of Confidence

An American monarch and a false utopia on the shores of Lake Michigan

I have lived in Michigan for over a decade and never heard of that time when a king ruled Beaver Island. This tale happens before the Civil War when men (and it's almost always men) head west to make their fortunes, by hook or by crook with the emphasis on crook. James Strang is destined to be a failure until he finds the right combination of religion, speculation, bluster and disregard for the law. For a time he rules a bit of heaven and earth, but there's a reason he became a Michigan oddity. For fans of utopian history, Mitten State stories and 19th century adventurers.