Reviewer: Sharon Brunner
Mikel B. Classen’s “Piracy on the Great Lakes: True Tales of Freshwater Pirates” offers thought-provoking information about piracy, including attacking, robbing, and hijacking various types of watercraft and their crew. Piracy has occurred on the Great Lakes since the 1700s. Voyageurs in canoes transporting tons of furs were some of the first victims. The Michigan was the first ship built by the U.S. government to patrol the lakes. When it was on a specific lake, the other lakes fell prey to pirates. The ship launched in 1844 and retired in 1912. Some well-known pirates were James Jesse Strang and his Mormon followers, William Johnson, Dan Seavey, and Captain William (Bully) Henry Hayes. The pirates waited in the night, slid up to unsuspecting crews of ships, boarded the ships and killed the crew.
Some of the interesting information provided included that the pirates of the Great Lakes did not seek gold or other riches. They sought commodities such as furs, food, and other useful items. During the fur trading era, canoes carried up to two tons of furs. Fur values were associated with the whims of fashion. A vessel was often laden with pelts with a street value of $15,000 which amounted to $350,000 in 2025. The pirates included either other tribal people or other trappers. I also learned the Apostle Islands, a group of islands near Bayfield, Wisconsin, were named after a group of adventurous pirates. Another interesting tidbit Classen introduced was the timber pirates. The great pines of Michigan were in high demand. Timber pirates cut down 40 acres of trees or more each time they invaded an area in Michigan, loaded the trees on ships, and sailed away with contrabanded lumber. The New York Times featured a group of 20 pirates who raided communities on the west shore of Lake Michigan to steal trees. Classen delineated James Jesse Strang’s role as a pirate and how the Mormons under his rule followed his commands to rob communities and ships. Strang served as the King of Beaver Island which is located near Petoskey, Michigan. Even though Strang committed many criminal acts of piracy, he served two terms on the Michigan State House of Representatives as a Democrat. Classen provided a multitude of pictures of pirate ships, the Michigan, and pirates which helped bring to life Classen’s story about piracy on the Great Lakes.
When reading Classen’s book I was reminded of the book “The King of Beaver Island: The Life and Assassination of James Jesse Strang” written by Roger Van Noord and published in 1988. He was crowned king of a Mormon settlement he had established on Beaver Island. He was referred to as a prophet. He served as king for six years and his assassination was celebrated by many. Classen’s description of Dan Sevey’s life involved that of honorable positions such as his stint in the Navy and he worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs on Indian reservations in Wisconsin and Oklahoma before he turned his life over to a life of piracy. He wasn’t one to take orders well. I wondered if all pirates did not like authority and were looking for an easy way to make money.
I recommend this book for its detailed account of James Jesse Strang’s reign of terror, because it described the various types of piracy concerning the Great Lakes, for its information about piracy during the fur trading days, and for its information about the timber pirates. Piracy has served as a point of interest for many people because of the danger and the appalling behavior of the pirates. Some of the pirates lived respectful lives at certain points in their lives. Others like Strang gained great power and prestige. The nerve and ambition of the timber pirates have proven to be simply amazing. Back when canoes were the main source of transportation on the Great Lakes, how did people in canoes take over others in canoes and steal the furs? Did they use larger boats? It is heartbreaking to learn that what people spend their lives accumulating can be taken away in one evening by a group of pirates. Especially, in an area so pristine as the Great Lakes. Classen’s research in Piracy on the Great Lakes has indeed uncovered the true tales of freshwater pirates.
Title: Piracy on the Great Lakes: True Tales of Freshwater Pirates
Author: Mikel B. Classen
