Kings In Michigan: From Self-styled Royalty To Playful Legends

It seems kind of silly to proclaim that there were ever any kings or Queens in the United States, but as it turns out, there have actually been two kings in the state of Michigan since at least the 1850s.

Going back to the first king of Michigan, you have to look at James Strang, who was a religious leader and a politician who served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1853 until he was assassinated three years later in 1856.

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But before this, he had set his sights on Beaver Island, which is located off Lake Michigan. It was on July 8 that James Strang and his group of followers settled on Beaver Island, where he declared himself the king of Beaver Island and renamed the capital after himself, Saint James.
For a few very strange years, Michigan had a monarchy ruling over Beaver Island.

The next king we need to discuss, the King of Kalamazoo, has only been mentioned in legend by Herbert Birdsfoot, in the song "The Letter K" on Sesame Street’s Alphabet album. The story goes like this:

There once was a king from Kalamazoo
Who had a kicky kangaroo
Now the kindly kangaroo named Kay
Played a keen kazoo both night and day
'Twas the kind of kazoo that went koo-koo
Koo-Koo Koo-Koo went Kay's kazoo
And when the kindly king of Kalamazoo saw Kay the kangaroo's kazoo
He said right here in Kalamazoo, we'll build a zoo for a kangaroo
And so when you are passing through
Stop by and you can listen to
The Kalamazoo zoo's kangaroo play koo-koo-koo on her kazoo.

So, who do you think the more dominant monarchy was in Michigan’s past?