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Eagles, Moose, Elk and Lions sound like prey of big-game hunters, but in fact they are the names of fraternal organizations with roots in the Victorian age. By 1890 nationwide enrollment in such groups had grown to more than six million men and comprised forty percent of the male population over the age of twenty-one in the United States.

Druids, Tribes of Ben Hur, the Prudent Patricians of Pompeii and the Knights of Pythias were some of the more exotic names for social organizations that existed in American communities at the turn of the century. Everyone seemed to be joining some temple, clan, conclave or lodge. Their meeting halls were prominent and multiple-use buildings in Arcata, Eureka and Ferndale. These edifices usually had a downstairs that was rented out to business or private schools, while the second floor was used for meetings, dances and other entertainment of the day. Pythian “castles” in Arcata and Eureka are examples of such structures and remain historically significant buildings to this day.

Some members joined the clubs to take advantage of sickness and death benefits that many orders provided, others to maintain business contacts, and most to provide social contact and ceremony that contrasted to their ordinary working lives.

Rules for joining these affiliations varied. Some were built around the professions of members, such as the Masons and the Grange. Others had membership made up of geographic location or nationalities, such as the Native Sons (and Daughters) of the Golden West and the Italian Catholic Federation. And for some, religious affiliation was a requirement for joining, as exemplified by the Knights of Columbus or the Young Men’s Institute (Y.M.I.) Many of these organizations had women’s auxiliaries (Daughters of Rebekah, Pythian Sisters) who helped organize chicken-pie suppers, corn roasts, picnics, cake sales and dances.

Along with organizing social occasions, ceremonies, and picnics for their members, clubs and lodges became a way to help those less fortunate in their communities long before government social services were in existence. When the death of a member occurred, the lodge would take care of the funeral arrangements and pitch in to help out the grieving widow with food, comfort and contributions. They filled a tremendous need in frontier society.

In November 1867, an Englishman named Charles Algernon Sidney Vivian arrived in New York to try his fortune. Born in 1842, he was the son of a clergyman who had also been a successful comic singer and dancer in the music halls of London.

In New York City at that time, “blue laws” were enforced, which meant that everything in town was closed on Sundays. Vivian and his fellow entertainers formed a club and dubbed themselves the “Jolly Corks,” a name derived from a trick introduced by Vivian in which the uninitiated purchased a round of refreshments.

Shortly before Christmas 1867, one of the Jolly Corks died, leaving his wife and children destitute. The Jolly Corks decided that in addition to good fellowship, they needed a more enduring organization to serve those in need.

On February 8, 1868, the Jolly Corks changed their name to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks [B.P.O.E.] and elected Vivian to lead it.

The B.P.O.E. soon became rife with dissension. Some members wanted the organization to be restricted to members of the entertainment profession, an idea that Vivian and his backers opposed. During Vivian’s next out-of-town engagement, the club ousted the founder and his friends from the very club that they had organized.

Vivian continued to succeed with his road shows, and at one point in his career came to Humboldt County to entertain. He stayed for a short time in Arcata while he played entertainments both there and in Eureka. Years later the club rectified the illegal ouster and restored the honored title of the founder of the group to Vivian.

Vivian died of pneumonia on March 20, 1880, and his wife received a stipend from the order until her death in 1931.

In its early history the Elks supported the Salvation Army and the Red Cross. In 1871 the club staged a benefit for the victims of the great Chicago fire. Money was raised for the Johnstown flood in 1889. The Elks were one of the first on the scene to supply money and rescue assistance during the San Francisco earthquakes of 1906 and 1989, and more recently at the Oklahoma City bombing and to the Red River flood victims. As always, disaster relief continues to play an important part in Elks activities.

During the late 1880s the Elks Club began to grow exponentially. Its branches spread throughout the states, and by the turn of the century the club had reached Humboldt County.

Charles K. Cadman, a member of the Oakland lodge of the order, had come to Humboldt to supervise the building of the railroad between Eureka and Arcata. He was an ardent Elk, and when he found no lodge of the order he started the ball rolling to form one in this part of the state. There is a rule in the organization that requires a city to have a population of five thousand to be entitled to a lodge. In 1900 the population of Eureka was between seven and eight thousand, which made the town eligible to establish one.

Cadman found that Henry H. Buhne of Eureka was a member of the San Francisco Lodge, and that several traveling men who made visits to Eureka by ship were also members of the order. These men did missionary work among the citizens to drum up support for forming a Humboldt County Elks Lodge.

The Eureka Lodge No. 652 had its first organizational meeting on November 25, 1900, in the parlors of the Vance House at Second and G streets. Fifty-four residents of Eureka and Humboldt County signed the application for organization of a lodge. Three temporary officers were elected: chairman, Charles K. Cadman; secretary, William N. Speegle; and treasurer, George A. Belcher.

On November 27, two nights later, an additional thirty-two applicants joined the charter list for the lodge at their meeting place, the Pythian Castle. (The Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe currently uses the Pythian Hall.) At this meeting S.J. Allard was fined one dollar and W.H. Wallace and L.F. Puter each paid fifty cents for “talking too much.”

The following meeting on December 4, 1900, was held at the Pythian Castle and an additional seventy-eight applicants signed the charter list.

On February 13, 1901, H.F. Feririll was elected secretary to succeed W.N. Speegle, as Mr. Speegle could not attend every meeting. Fines were again imposed as follows: L.F. Puter, twenty cents; J.R. Baird, five cents; J. M. Carson, ten cents; H.H. Buhne, twenty-five cents; J. Chrichton, ten cents; O.C. Gregor, ten cents; D. Cutten, ten cents; P. Healy, ten cents; and L.E. Mahan, ten cents.

(The practice of fining members remains to this day as a humorous way of adding contributions to funds.)

On February 23, 1901, the Eureka Lodge was officially instituted. The San Francisco Lodge was invited to come to Eureka and perform the ceremonies. The invitation was accepted, and practically all the passenger accommodations on the steamer Pomona were taken over by the Elks who came up from the coast metropolis. Obviously suspicious of the hinterland’s ability to entertain, the San Franciscans brought caterers, and food in containers to be served at the big banquet that was to precede the induction of the Eureka Lodge into the family of Elkdom. By now the charter for the organization had nearly doubled from the original eighty-six members to one hundred and sixty-five. This was the largest charter in the history of the order up to that time.

Henry Melde, a nurseryman who had large hothouses near Sequoia Park, was in charge of the decorations of the Occidental Pavilion for the ceremonies. He transformed the building into a veritable bower and his efforts were met with enthusiastic plaudits; it was a grand sight. More than three hundred men sat down to an excellent banquet. Charles K. Cadman, first Exalted Ruler, invited the Exalted Ruler of the San Francisco lodge to preside at the banquet table. The viands brought up from San Francisco were washed down with copious drafts of champagne. The fees that had been gathered by the members for the banquet amounted to two thousand five hundred dollars. After the festivities were paid for, the treasury had twenty-five dollars left.

But the Elks’ finances soon recovered. More and more members were recruited and at an equal rate their treasury grew.

For nine years the antlered herd met at the Odd Fellows hall, but the members were soon making plans to build their own impressive lodge. They purchased a lot at the northeast corner of Fifth and H streets in Eureka. The comfortable cottage of Joseph Corbett had stood there once, and next door was the grocery of Percy Parker. In 1909 a cornerstone was laid, and by May 1910 this fine structure was beautifully furnished and dedicated. That first lodge building, which still stands, is now the home of Humboldt Bank.

The main furnishing that any Elks Club building must have is an elk. Upon the completion of its new Elks Club in 1910, a search began for an elk head. A dealer in Tacoma, Washington, was contacted and agreed to ship the animal and give time for making payments, as the building and furnishings depleted the treasury.

The cost of the elk was five hundred dollars. The members came up with a scheme to hold a raffle with each member allowed to purchase a ticket at one dollar each. As there were more than 500 members at that time it was evident that if everyone purchased a ticket there would be ample money to pay for the elk.

There was a string attached, however. The member who won the elk would be required to donate it back to the Elks Lodge. A delighted Harry Woodville Jackson won the elk. He built a beautiful redwood burl pedestal on which the elk was mounted and had an inscription placed on it telling of his gift to the Lodge. It still remains one of the most treasured possessions of the Lodge.

Elk teeth are prized possessions to members of the Elks Club. Simply or ornately mounted, they are sometimes given to members as tokens of appreciation or handed down from a proud Elk father to his son at his initiation day. It is unclear how this tradition began. In the beginning of the organization, different parts of the elks body were tried. One member carried an elk’s ear, another a tail or items made from elk teeth, hide or horn before the teeth were settled on by popularity. Some think the addition of the elk teeth symbol was begun by west-bound Elks who had seen the ceremonial clothing worn by Native Americans and in various touring Wild West shows. In the early 1900s wearers had to defend themselves from accusations that they had killed the animals solely for their teeth. This was not true, and the Elks explained that the teeth had been procured from Indian trading and the vast stockpile that mountain men had accumulated long before the Order came into being.

Other members donated beautiful gifts to the Lodge, including an onyx top for the large mahogany altar. Emblems of the lodge are displayed on the altar at each meeting and during public functions. They consist of the American flag, which is first draped on the altar. On top of the flag is a large Holy Bible and on top of the Bible are antlers, the emblem of the order.

In 1910, lodge members were very fond of beer on tap for liquid refreshment. Each member brought a stein for “Stein Night.” The beer steins were placed on shelves that extended around the room on the second floor. During subsequent earthquakes in the 1950s many of the steins were broken. Many of the remaining steins are on display in the lobby of the new lodge, presenting an interesting and possibly valuable collection.

The Eureka Elks Lodge remains the only one in Humboldt County. On March 23, 1946, the Eureka Lodge sponsored the Elks Lodge in Crescent City. The ceremony and banquet for the new northern lodge was held in Eureka at the Municipal Auditorium and included delegations from all of the lodges of the bay district in addition to local members.

By the late 1950s the Elks had outgrown their downtown home of fifty years. The club purchased a large lot on Herrick Avenue in the Pine Hill area just south of Eureka. A spacious one-story wooden building was constructed overlooking a wooded area (as befits an Elk), and a large area was covered with asphalt to provide parking. The Elks membership has continued to grow. Presently about 800 men are members.

Since its inception, the Elks have been a patriotic and charitable organization, and one of the oldest and largest private fraternal clubs in the U.S. The unbreakable law of the Elks is that only American citizens can hold membership and all Elks lodges must be built on American soil. Elks must be men of high moral fiber; no one arrested on a morals charge may join. A ladies auxiliary supports the group by volunteering and helping with fund-raisers.

Today there are nearly 1.3 million members of the Elks in 2,200 local lodges found throughout all fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and several overseas locations. They provide recreational facilities for families, and the lodges are the focal point for many community service and charitable programs.

Elks National Foundation, begun in 1928, is the BPOE’s permanent charitable trust. The principal is never spent nor are donations to the principal. Only interest can be used. Last year, the Foundation set a record by disbursing $11.8 million in support of the Order’s benevolent and charitable programs.

Charles Vivian’s legacy continues through the organization’s aid to members in distress, helping children with disabilities, college scholarship, youth projects, recreational programs and aid to veterans.

Flag Day, June 14, 1907, was a tradition observed by the Elks. President Harry S. Truman, an Elk, later declared national observance on the anniversary of the date.

During this past Christmas holiday the Eureka Elks Lodge hosted four Christmas parties for disadvantaged children and their families in our community.

Ninety-six years after its beginning, the Eureka Elks Lodge continues to be a helpful and lively part of the Humboldt County Community, with many sons and grandsons of original members keeping this organization alive and vital in our community. It exemplifies the Elks motto:

“Our story is long; our work is humble; our history is proud. As long as there are those who need our help, the Elks will be there to give aid and comfort.”

Sources of Information

1. Susie Baker Fountain Collection, Humboldt County Library Humboldt Room: Volume 66, pgs. 278, 285, 293, 294, 310, 317, 326, 327, 331
2. Telephone interview: Lorna Matthews, Eureka Elks Lodge, December 29, 1997
3. Internet information: http://www.elks.com: What Starts out in a Mouth And Ends up on Your Tie, Annals of the Order, Mike Kelly, Grand Lodge Historian; Elks National Foundation, author unknown; About the Order BPO Elks of the USA, author unknown; How the Order Began, author unknown
4. Victorian America, Thomas J. Schlereth, Harper Collins, 1991, pgs. 212–214

The Elks Buffalo Barbecue, also known as Humboldt’s greatest stag party, started with a story that appeared in the Humboldt Standard in October 1957. The article stated that every year the federal government sold surplus animals from herds of elk, longhorn cattle and buffalo at the Wichita National Wildlife Preserve in Oklahoma.

The longhorns didn’t interest me, but the buffalos inspired a number of thoughts: 1) Hardly anyone in Humboldt County had ever eaten buffalo meat at that time. 2) New Years parties carried on until about Jan. 10, when everyone was partied out. 3) By Jan. 20 everyone had recovered and was ready to party again, but there weren’t any parties. 4) No one in his right mind would barbecue in Humboldt in January, so we should do it.

I approached Ed Lax, the Exalted Ruler of the Elks, with these ideas, and he told me to go ahead. The lodge sent for and received one buffalo, cut up and frozen into barbecue-sized pieces. We rented Shrine Park (now owned by the Moose Lodge), set a date and started the preparations.

Glen Nash took me and my son, John, to Kneeland for a load of firewood. We hired Harry Stone to do the barbecuing, arranged for a crew of men with gambling tables (no girl show), and selected lodge members to tend bar, serve, and prepare the other food. The most active and well known members of the lodge sold tickets in advance. The idea quickly became popular, and because no one wanted to miss the party, we sold one thousand tickets. Naturally, one buffalo was not going to feed that many men, so we added a good supply of beef to the menu.

All went well, except for the one thing we couldn’t plan in advance: the weather. The night of the barbecue was the night of the worst storm of the entire winter. We had to have two pumps in the bottom of the barbecue pit to keep the ground water from putting the fire out. (The next day the water was within a foot of the top of the barbecue pit.)

Nevertheless, being true Humboldters and having paid for their tickets in advance, everyone came and had a sensational time. No one minded that there was no place to park except on Campton Road and that the police were generously awarding tickets. No one minded that the place was crowded; the food was good, the games lively, and it was a fun time!

The last laugh came the next day. I had hired a janitorial service to clean up the building. He went the day after the event, opened the door and looked. He promptly told us where to go and slammed the door shut. Ed Lax and I did the cleanup, which shows what happens when you get a great idea. The party is still remembered, and there has never been a bigger one.