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The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus (ECV) is a fraternal organization dedicated to the study and preservation of Western Heritage, in particular the history of the Mother Lode and gold mining regions of the area. Mother lode is a principal vein or zone of veins of Gold or Silver Ore. "Gold mine" redirects here See Goldmine for other uses of the term There are chapters in California, Nevada and other Western states. Nevada ( is a state located in the western region of the United States of America. Members call themselves "Clampers. " The organization's name is in Dog Latin, and has no known meaning; even the spelling is disputed, sometimes appearing as "Clampusus", "Clampsus", or "Clampsis". Dog Latin or mock-Latin refers to the creation of a Phrase or Jargon in imitation of Latin, often by directly translating English The motto of the Order, Credo Quia Absurdum, is generally understood as meaning "I believe it because it is absurd. A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group "; the proper Latin quotation Credo quia absurdum est, is from the Christian apologist Tertullian (140-230), who rejected rationalism and accepted a Gospel which addressed itself to the "non-rational levels of perception. Credo quia absurdum is a Latin phrase of uncertain origin It means "I believe because it is absurd" It is derived from a poorly remembered or misquoted passage in Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, Anglicised as Tertullian, (ca "

Contents

History

The history of the organization is steeped in mythology. It is said that the organization was created in 1845 in Lewisport, Virginia, now West Union, West Virginia, when tavern and stable owner Ephraim Bee was given a commission from the Emperor of China to "extend the work and influence of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus. West Union, incorporated July 20, 1881, is a town in Doddridge County, West Virginia. Ephraim Bee ( December 26, 1802 &ndash October 23, 1888) was an American pioneer blacksmith and inn-keeper from Doddridge County The Emperor of China ( refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning since the founding of the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC until the fall of "

Bee claimed to have received his commission from Caleb Cushing, the American minister to China. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National West Union has a monument to Ephraim Bee on the site of the old "Beehive" Tavern, where the RailTrail comes through. The original tavern, the "Bee Hive", was destroyed in the late 1800s during a flood.

Ephraim Bee played his greatest joke on his local West Virginian neighbors. Occasionally, the entire town was invited to a great party. After the Civil War, it was discovered that a nearby cave was a holding area for the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and Safe houses used by 19th century Black slaves in the United States When the cave was full, E. Bee gave a party to keep all busy while that group of people were moved further north to the next stop.

Bee felt that an organization was needed which was less exclusive than the other organizations of the day, such as the Masons, Elks and Odd Fellows. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ( BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American Fraternal order and There are various Orders of Odd Fellows world wide this article is about the North American organization and fellowship In addition, nativism was rising in the United States, as evidenced by such political organizations as the Know-Nothing Party. Nativism is an Opposition to immigration which originated in United States politics with roots in the country's historic role as a Melting pot. The Know Nothing movement was a Nativist American political movement of the 1850s Bee opened membership in ECV to any "upstanding" man who had come of age. It is known that there were E Clampus Vitus chapters in Bedford, Pennsylvania; Metropolis, Illinois; Bowling Green, Missouri; and Dahlonega, Georgia. Bedford is a borough in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, 102 miles west of the State Capital Harrisburg. Metropolis is a city located along the Ohio River in Massac County Illinois, in the United States. Bowling Green is a city in Pike County, Missouri, United States. Dahlonega is a city in Lumpkin County, Georgia, United States, and is its County seat. (It has been rumored that ECV brethren within the U. S. Army even attempted to bring the order as far south as Mexico City following the Mexican-American War as a gesture of brotherhood and reconciliation, but all record has vanished of the well-intentioned Chapultepec chapter. Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico Chapultepec ( Chapoltepēc "at the grasshopper hill" in the Nahuatl language; c )

The organization is said to have been taken to California by an ECV member named Joe Zumwalt, who first heard of it in Missouri. Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee Zumwalt opened an ECV lodge in Mokelumne Hill in 1851, when Mokelumne Hill Lodge No. Mokelumne Hill is a Census-designated place (CDP in Calaveras County, California, United States. 1001 was established. There are arguments that previous lodges had been founded in Hangtown, Downieville and Sierra City, but none of those became permanent. Placerville is the County seat of El Dorado County California. Downieville is the County seat of Sierra County California. It has a population of 325 Sierra City is an unincorporated community in Sierra County, California, United States.

As more of the "established" organizations such as the Masons came to the mining country, they looked down upon the more rowdy nature of E Clampus Vitus. ECV, in making fun of the sashes and ceremonial attire of the "upscale" fraternities, began dressing in red long johns and pinning on badges made of cut-out tin can lids. This practice, called "wearing your tin," continues to this day, although the badges are more professionally-made, and members usually dress in a red miner’s shirt, black hat and Levi's jeans. Levi Strauss, born Löb Strauß, ( February 26, 1829 - September 26, 1902) was a German - Jewish immigrant Jeans are Trousers made from Denim. Mainly designed for work, they became popular among Teenagers starting in the 1950s. ECV titles reflected the tongue-in-cheek nature of the organization. Officials were called "Noble Grand Humbug," "Roisterous Iscutis," "Grand Imperturbable Hangman," "Clamps Vitrix," and "Royal Gyascutis. " All members are officers and all officers, the organization professes, are of equal indignity.

Clamper meetings were held in the Hall of Comparative Ovations, generally the back room of a saloon. Some chapters even built their own Halls of Comparative Ovations. One still stands in Murphys. Murphys is a Census-designated place (CDP in Calaveras County, California, United States. The Clamper flag was a hoop skirt, with the words "This is the flag we fight under. " Meetings were held "at any time before or after a full moon. " New members were called "Poor Blind Candidates. " They were required to present a poke of gold dust, although the value of the poke was left to the discretion of the brotherhood, and was frequently waived entirely if the prospective member could not afford it. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79

Despite the humor and rowdiness of E Clampus Vitus, the members do take their brotherhood seriously. When a member became sick or injured, the group would collect food or money to help him out. They frequently trekked through the vastness of the Sierra Nevada to reach lonely miners who otherwise would have had no Christmas celebration. The Sierra Nevada ( Spanish for "Snowy Range" is a Mountain range located in the U The society was also careful to help out the widows and orphans of fallen members. Especially the Widders.

At the ECV's peak, around 1870, so many miners were members, that many mining camps shut down during ECV celebrations (some mining towns even had two chapters). At one point, Lord Sholto Douglas, a Great Britain peer, leading a troupe of actors in Marysville, was so downheartened by the lack of ticket sales that he had determined to leave town. Sholto Douglas was the mythical Progenitor of the House of Douglas, a powerful and warlike family in Medieval Scotland. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Marysville is the County seat of Yuba County, California, United States. When a local Clamper found out that the troupe was having trouble, Lord Sholto was immediately initiated into ECV, and the brothers bought enough tickets to fill the local theater. A 20th century chapter of the ECV was named for Lord Sholto Douglas LSD in honor of this event. Mark Twain was a member, and it was while attending an ECV meeting that he heard the story which he wrote as The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30 1835 – April 21 1910 better known by the Pen name Mark Twain, was an American Humorist, satirist "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" is an 1865 Short story by Mark Twain.

Members of note included Adam the first "Clampatriarch", Philip D. Armour, the meat packer; John Mohler Studebaker, the automobile manufacturer, and John Hume, a California state assemblyman. See also Adam and Eve Adam ( Hebrew: אָדָם was according to a literal interpretation of Genesis, the first man created by Philip Danforth Armour ( 16 May 1832 &ndash 6 January 1901) was an American Businessman who founded Armour and Company John Mohler Studebaker (1833-1917 was the American co-founder and later executive of what would become the Studebaker Corporation Automobile company ECV also claims Ulysses S. Grant, J. Pierpont Morgan, Horace Greeley and Horatio Alger as members, but claims have also been made to Solomon, Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar, Henry VIII of England, Sir Francis Drake, George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Hugh Jardon, Ronald Raegan and of course, His Imperial Majesty Joshua A. Norton, "Emperor of these United States and Protector of Mexico". Joshua Abraham Norton ( c 1819 &ndash January 8 1880 the self-proclaimed His Imperial Majesty Emperor Norton I, was a celebrated citizen of San Hail Norton! These fanciful claims show ECV's propensity for not taking much of anything particularly seriously, least of all itself.

There is evidence to support the ECV claim to Ulysses S. Grant. One of the early capitals of California was Benicia. At the close of the War with Mexico, Lt. William Tecumseh Sherman was Adjutant to Col. Richard Barnes Mason at the time of the gold discovery at Sutter's Mill. Upon Sherman's retirement in 1853, his replacement at the Benicia Arsenal was Lt. Ulysses S, Grant who spent 30 days in the Arsenal Guardhouse for being drunk on duty and firing his cannons at the Martinez shoreline. Considering Benicia's position as the major inland Army post and transport hub to the valley, both Grant's & the Brotherhood's affinity for strong drink and the early spread of the Brotherhood through Northern California, it is entirely possible that Grant was inducted into the Organization.

Reestablishment

As the mining industry faded towards the end of the 19th century, ECV started to fade as well. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar It was revitalized in 1931 by San Francisco historian Carl Wheat and his friends G. Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city See also History An historian is an individual who studies and writes about History, and is regarded as an Authority on it Ezra Dane and Leon O. Whitsell. They were contacted by one of the last surviving members of the original ECV, who passed on all that he could remember of the organization's rites and legends. The three founded a new chapter, Yerba Buena Number 1, or the "Capitulus Redivivus. " Wheat described E Clampus Vitus as "the comic strip on the page of California history. A comic strip is a sequence of drawings that tells a story Currently in the Western world, most comic strips are written and drawn by a Comics artist "

New chapters sprang up in Los Angeles (Platrix Chapter #2) and other major cities in California, and were numbered sequentially. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West However, once Lodge 10 was established in 1936, members pointed out that it was illogical for such a rowdy organization to be so neat in its numbering scheme, and so some creativity was developed in the numbering. Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The "Pair-o-Dice" chapter in Paradise, for example, is Lodge No. Paradise is an incorporated town in Butte County, in the northwest foothills of California 's Central Valley, in the Sierra. 7-11. The de la Guerra y Pacheco chapter, halfway between Lodge Number 1 in San Francisco and Lodge Number 2 in Los Angeles, is Lodge Number 1. 5. There were chapters in British Columbia and Hawaii, but they no longer exist. British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the

In 1937, a plaque appeared in Northern California purporting to have been made by Sir Francis Drake during his voyage of discovery in which it was stated that he had claimed all of California for England, and that he had the authority of the claim by having been ceded the land by the local Miwok Indians. Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Northern California is the northern portion of the US state of California. Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral, (c 1540 &ndash 27 January 1595 was an English Privateer, navigator, Slaver, and politician England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Miwok (also spelled Miwuk, Mi-Wuk, or Me-Wuk) can refer to any one of four linguistically-related groups of Native Americans, who lived in what The man who was chief of the Miwoks in 1937, William Fuller, was a member of E Clampus Vitus. During an ECV meeting, he revoked the cession of land to England, and ceded it all to the United States government. The so-called Drake's Plate of Brass was accepted as authentic for forty years, yet was in actuality a hoax initiated by Dane that got out of control. The so-called Drake's Plate of Brass is a Forgery that purports to be the Brass plaque that Francis Drake posted upon landing in Northern California A hoax is a deliberate attempt to Dupe, Deceive or trick an audience into believing or accepting that something is real when in fact it is not or that It is now thought that the Fuller ceremony was part of an effort for the perpetrators to tip off the plate's finders as to its true origins.

The current ECV

There are currently 42 ECV chapters in California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Washington, as well as an offshore chapter (the Floating Whang chapter), an online chapter (the Cyber Whang chapter), and proposed chapters in Oregon and Idaho. The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The State of Idaho ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America.

Al Packer Chapter 100 in Colorado was chartered in 2000 — the year 6005 on ECV's idiosyncratic calendar. This chapter has four encampments statewide for members to get together and socialize.

Doc Maynard Chapter 54-40 in Washington State is the most recently chartered, changing its status from "Outpost" to "Chapter" in 2006, the year 6011 in Clamper years.

The organization has raised historical plaques in many places throughout the West (often those sites such as bordellos and saloons overlooked by more traditional historical societies), with a traditional "doin's," or party, after each plaque dedication. A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal ceramic stone wood or other material typically attached to a wall stone or other vertical surface and bearing These are now common in historical areas around California and the West — when in the Gold Country, a Clamper-placed plaque is never far away. The fraternity is not sure if it is a "historical drinking society" or a "drinking historical society. " In 2006, Platrix Chapter #2 erected a plaque commemorating the 50th Anniversary of "Godzilla, King of the Monsters" at the former studio site where Raymond Burr's insert scenes were filmed by director Terry Morse in 1956. The plaque is at the entrance of the Frank del Olmo Elementary School, the current occupant of the site.

Initiation

By tradition, a man can only become a Clamper by invitation. However, one can express his desire to join. Initiation rites are sometimes spur-of-the-moment, such as forcing a blindfolded candidate to be lifted into the air by a block and tackle. A block and tackle is a system of two or more Pulleys with a Rope or Cable threaded between them usually used to lift or pull heavy loads Other times, the blindfolded initiate is seated upon a wet sponge in a wheelbarrow, and taken upon the "Rocky Road to Dublin" (a ladder lying on the ground). A wheelbarrow is a small hand-propelled vehicle usually with just one Wheel, designed to be pushed and guided by a single person using two handles to the rear or a sail The initiations are secret and vary greatly in execution and severity. Once he has been asked to answer several questions, the Scales of Darkness (the blindfold) are removed, the new member "sees the light", is handed the Staff of Relief, is presented the Stone of Enigma, and appointed Chairman of the Most Important Committee. Afterward everyone toasts the new member with drink. Once enlightened,a brother is a brother for life.

External links

Further reading

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