Reviewed by Tom Powers, Michigan in Books
This slim volume contains a wealth of information on a subject that seems as reluctant to reveal its history as the historical pirates of the Great Lakes who guarded their anonymity. Classen’s research and history of piracy on the Great Lakes begins with the Fur Trade in the 1700s and closes with the death of the last known Great Lakes pirate in 1949. The author defines piracy as “attacking, robbing, and hijacking on the water.”
In the 1700s, a large commercial canoe could carry a load of furs worth several thousand dollars. It made them a tempting target for those who preferred taking furs by robbery rather than the hard, wet, and cold work of trapping and skinning the animals for the fur. I’ll bet most readers have never heard of Lumber Piracy. But it became so prolific the federal government had gunboats built to stop the pirates. There is also a chapter on King James Jesse Strange. The Mormon leader probably took no part in actual piracy but encouraged his Beaver Island followers to take anything they needed from Gentiles on the island or mainland and also included attacking shipping. Classen includes a chapter that contains welcome new information on Michigan’s legendary pirate Dan Seavey. He is probably the only man ever charged with piracy on the Great Lakes and after his conviction was hired as a U.S. Marshall.
Piracy on the Great Lakes is filled with photographs and illustrations that complement the narrative. Classen has written a fine survey of pirating on the Great Lakes and even readers with some knowledge of the subject will find it worth their time.
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