Manitou County, Michigan
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Manitou County was an insular county in Michigan that was made up of Beaver Island, its surrounding islands, and the Manitou and Fox Islands in Lake Michigan. The county was in legal existence from 1855 until 1895. The county seat was St. James, Beaver Island.
[edit] Before 1855: islands attached to mainland counties
In 1840, before Manitou County was formed, The Beaver Islands and the Fox Islands were part of Kiskonko County, later renamed Charlevoix County, and the Manitous were part of Leelanau County (which was part of Grand Traverse County at that time). In 1847, James J. Strang established a Morman colony on Beaver Island, crowned himself king in 1850, and after he was elected to the Michigan Legislature in the 1850's, he succeeded in getting Emmet County consolidated with Charlevoix County to expand his Morman kingdom. This caused much dissention among the non-Mormans, and Emmet County was reestablished by the Legislature. "King" Strang then persuaded the Legislature to form Manitou County in 1855, being composed of the Beaver, Fox, and Manitou Islands.
[edit] 1855-1895: organization of the county
The Manitou Islands were organized as Chandler Township, the Fox Islands as Galilee Township, and the Beaver Islands as Peaine Township. The northern part of Peaine Township later became St. James Township.
"King" Strang was assassinated in 1856, and the Mormans, about 2,600 of them, were driven off Beaver Island by the non-Mormans with only the clothes on their backs. In 1861, Manitou County was made a "protectorate" to Mackinac County, and then to Leelanau County (established in 1863) in 1865. In 1869, it was put under Mackinac County a second time. Since the county was out in Lake Michigan, county and township records were hardly kept, elections were hardly held, and courts were seldom held, causing lawlessness to reign most of the time.
[edit] After 1895: islands reattached to mainland counties
The first attempt to have the county relegated to history was in January 1877, when retiring governor John J. Bagley urged the Legislature to do so, recommending that it be part of Charlevoix County. No action was taken, but when the issue came up again in 1895, the Legislature listened, and made the Beaver Islands part of Charlevoix County and the Manitous and Fox Islands part of Leelanau County. The 1895 population of the former county was 917, with a total of 177 on the Manitous and Fox Islands, and 740 on the Beaver Islands.
South Manitou Island was made part of Glen Arbor Township, North Manitou was made part of Leland Township, and the Fox Islands were made part of Leelanau Township. The two Beaver Island townships remained in existence.
