Beaver Island History - Helen Collar Papers
Local Government
1847 - B.I. erected into Peaine Township; 3 meetings held in year & unable to organize.
Three white families on Island "temporarily settled in the township;" 4 or 5 white men
with Indian wives; several French half-breeds; 20 or 30 single men who had families elsewhere & were spending the winter on B.I.. The township organization was granted at the instance of Col. Fisk of Rochester, N.Y., who had commenced a fishing establishment on a large scale, investing $10,000. These men monopolized all the offices, although they neglected to attend to business until -
1850 - Mormons elected majority of officers
1851 - Mormons elected all the other officers
1853 - Emmet & Charlevoix counties united under name of Emmet
- Strang, An. & Mod. Mack., p. 38