Pirate waters4/13/2023 In 1855, a religious gang on Beaver Island burned sawmills and stole $1,600 worth of goods from a local store, under the leadership of "King" James Jesse Strang. Rackham and his crew were brought to Jamaica, where he and nearly all of his crew members were sentenced to be hanged. Soon after, Rackham's ship was attacked by an armed sloop and was captured. He came across a small vessel filled with 11 English pirates. In October 1720, Rackham cruised near Jamaica, capturing numerous small fishing vessels, and terrorizing fishermen along the northern coastline. Within the Great Lakes, he became famous for stealing things like fishing tackle, sometimes entire boats. This pesky pirate was notorious for his stealthy crimes. Calico Jack would wait until a fisherman or woodcutter was away from their ship and sail off with it in the night. He would steal anything from cash boxes to entire ships. John Rackham, or Calico Jack as he was often known for the colorful clothing he favored, is remembered as a small-time pirate from the 1700’s. Shipwreck on Lake Huron | Photo Courtesy of Dave Nowak Nordmeer But they also had a culture of their own-dressing for the weather in knitted wool caps, mittens and sweaters and generally not speaking pirate but instead in the dialect of those surrounding them-with a Scandinavian accent up in the Wisconsin area, a more German-Irish flair in Ohio. Alcohol runners would even steal alcohol to sell in Detroit or Chicago, or trade for guns and loot. Known as Timber Pirates by some, these buccaneers would ship up to the Upper Peninsula to cut down wide areas of timber to sell to industrializing cities east of the state. These swashbucklers ruled the high fresh-water seas and made their living sailing and searching for treasure not known to Jack Sparrow – lumber, illegal alcohol and wild-game meat. The Great Lakes pirates were some of the most fearsome and burly of any waters on the map. Did you know there were a multitude of pirates who sailed the Great Lakes? Read more below for some of the most recognized pirates that have sailed in Michigan waters. Check them out – if you dare!
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