A NEW SUNDAY TRADITION BEGINS

Happy Sunday!

We have exciting news!

Starting today, the Northern Islander is proud to announce that our Sunday website articles will now be available to everyone. Whether you're discovering the Northern Islander for the very first time, you've been a longtime supporter, or you're simply visiting our website to learn more about Beaver Island, our Sunday digital articles are now free for all to enjoy.

By making these weekly articles available to everyone, we hope to give readers a taste of what the Northern Islander is all about. If you enjoy what you read and would like to support the work we do (bringing local news, history, stories, and community happenings to readers each month) we invite you to subscribe today.

Whether you're interested in having our monthly print edition delivered directly to your mailbox, prefer a digital subscription with 24/7 access and an early look at each month's paper on the 1st, or would like both, subscribing is easy. You can sign up right here on our website, call us at 231-448-2254, or stop by the Print Shop Museum on Beaver Island, where we'd be happy to help you set up your subscription in person.

Every subscription makes a difference. Not only will you receive a publication that helps keep you connected to Beaver Island no matter where you call home, but you'll also be supporting local journalism. Every subscription helps our small but dedicated team continue gathering, writing, and sharing the stories that preserve the history, celebrate the people, and strengthen the community we all love.

We hope you'll spread the word! Tell your friends and family that they can now visit our website every Sunday to enjoy a free article and stay connected with Beaver Island.

A SAMPLE OF THE JULY ISSUE

Justice for the King of Beaver Island
By Dr. James P. Hill, CMU Professor Emeritus

On June 16, 1856, the self-anointed Mormon King of Beaver

Island, James Jesse Strang, was gunned down on a dock in the

town of St. James, appropriately named for him. The two

assailants, Thomas Bedford and Alexander Wentworth shot the

king three times at point blank range and beat him repeatedly

with a horse pistol. They then fled to the nearby docked Navy

warship, the U.S.S. Michigan, where they were given refuge.

After the two assailants and their families, along with families

of several other known enemies of King Strang, were escorted to

the warship by the marines, the U.S.S Michigan departed Beaver

Island and transported them to Mackinac Island, where they were

turned over to the local Gentile law enforcement authorities.

When the two self-confessed assailants were later brought before

the local justice of the peace for a hearing, which lasted less than

an hour, they were fined $1.25 in court costs and released.

Like the founder of the Mormon religion, Joseph Smith, who was

gunned down by an anti-Mormon mob twelve years earlier, no one

was ever prosecuted for the murders…

[Read the full story in the July 2026 edition of the Northern Islander]

POETRY CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT - EARLY VOTING BEGINS JULY 15

Early voting for the Northern Islander Poetry Contest begins Wednesday, July 15, during the Beaver Island Historical Society's annual Museum Week.

Printed copies of all poem submissions will be available for viewing, and visitors will have the opportunity to cast their vote for their favorite overall poem during the Art Show at the Greg Fellowship Center.

Online voting and regular public voting will officially begin on August 1. Voting will be available both here on our website and through a link published in the upcoming edition of the Northern Islander.

Stay tuned! We can't wait to share the talented work of this year's participants!