Tommy decided it was only appropriate that we become an official Clamper bar. Thereafter, the miners gladly patronized these newcomers to their town, so it was essentially an initiation into the community. Sunday Brunch 9 am In La Porte, the Clampers often clean up, and put up a fence around, the pine cone-strewn cemetery, where wooden and marble headstones date to the 19th century and where Frank C. Reilly is buried. [even that Cornfed deserter Sam Clemens was accepted, herein] Take back thet coal miner crap Hardrockers, Bindlestiffs, Bookies, Brakemen, and Wobblies have drunk at the fount of high-proof knowledge on the Virginia City highway At that time most of northern California was full of little mining towns and camps whose populations shifted constantly. LOL, I assume you meant join. I have been a long time time friend to many Clampers. We ate, laughed, danced, and drank until we were thrown out at midnight. Building from the knowledge of this Clampatriarch, as they called him, the New Dispensation of E Clampus Vitus began, and its fantastical history could finally be written. The "Pair-o-Dice" chapter in Paradise, for example, is Lodge No. So, their pre-1930s name was E Clampsus Vitus. In Marysville, the renowned Lord Sholto Douglas opened a theatrical . [volume] (Nevada City, Calif.) 1851-18? Mon to Sat 11 am 9 pm I couldnt have been prouder to be the one to bring Johnnys back to its days of grandeur. The group is not well-known outside California. These fanciful claims show ECV's propensity for not taking much of anything particularly seriously, least of all itself. Mckinley, Jesse. The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Societies : the ultimate a-z of ancient mysteries, lost civilizations and forgotten wisdom. Across the bar, someone heard them talking about the group and hollered. We are still good friends with lots of folks from the group. Hee Li eventually managed to make a return journey from Gum Shan after having established Clamperism there, and his discovery of this far off land we today call California was well known among his countrymen. The next day we all went to brunch together, and any one of the attendees will surely tell you that it was one of the most fun weekends of his or her life. Enter a bar in a small town in the Sierra Nevada, and youre likely to run into a Clamper. Their form of the phrase was the Latin Ecce Lampas Vitae, meaning Behold, the Light of Life, and how this phrase became corrupted is truly a remarkable tale. Imagine a gathering of overeducated history buffs drunkenly regaling each other with the most ridiculous false histories they could think of. E Clampus Vitus, or ECV as it is also known, succeeded and flourished where other orders failed for it was Bee's belief that any man of upstanding character who was of age could join, unencumbered by the restrictions of other fraternal organizations. The night of the ball was, of course, another all-day party. The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Societies : the ultimate a-z of ancient mysteries, lost civilizations and forgotten wisdom written by John Michael Greer John Michael Greer 2006. Official Web Site of Joaquin Murrieta Chapter 13 E Clampus Vitus. It was they who introduced the central Clamper symbol, the Staff of Relief, a decidedly phallic image. The men headed out of town at three in the afternoon on Friday, and our party started before their vehicles left the parking lot. It is the misfits, failures, fugitives, outcasts and their like who are among the first to grapple with the new.Eric Hoffer (19021983). Jan 22nd 1896) and promised a big house. Want to leave a review about Clampers to be featured on our site? In the years that followed the revived E Clampus Vitus spread throughout northern California and into Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. The Clampers really like to promote the drunken historian persona but when it comes down to history, they are pretty serious, even though they might not pick the most conventional places, said Nicole Grady, a librarian at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, which holds an extensive Clampers archive. If a man has those qualities, and strikes up a friendship with a Clamper or two, he may find himself taken in to (and by) the Ancient and Honorable Order. She arranged for the eunuchs guarding the other girls to be drugged, and once free, the former slave women took control of the vessel, throwing any who resisted them to the sharks. Age discrimination, How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Rainn Wilson, Schiff reports major cash advantage over Porter and Lee in Senate race, The Ultimate L.A. Bookshelf: 110 essential Los Angeles books, Scooter operators say strict rules, rampant theft threaten business in San Diego, Mayor Bass seeks $250-million expansion of homelessness program in first State of the City speech, Federal court slows a California ban on natural gas appliances, Striking Medieval Times workers struck by car on picket line, 17 arrested in connection with 11 gang-related Sikh shootings in Northern California. Per pg. ECV claims many men of note to have been members, whether they were members or not: Philip D. Armour, the meat packer; John Mohler Studebaker, the automobile manufacturer; Gene Autry "The Singing Cowboy" who owned the California Angels baseball team; and John Hume, a California state assemblyman. Their motto is Credo Quia Absurdum, which, in Latin, roughly translates to I believe because its absurd.. Christmas Party and White Elephant Gift Exchange, Five Things You May Not Know About Clampers. However, one can express his desire to join. It was this so-called breechless brotherhood that added to the original Vituscan directive to care for widows and orphans the clarification that it was especially the widows that they sought to comfort. Not just anybody can join E Clampus Vitus, you have to be invited to be a member. Allen instructing my grandson Joseph on where he could help out. It turns. Some theologians trace the society back to Moses, who is claimed to be an early Noble Grand Humbug or Clampatriarch, for one of the hypothesized source documents of the Torah, called the Elohist, is more commonly referred to as E, corresponding to the beginning of the orders name. Afterward, he spoke only in signs, and his followers sought his canonization as a saint. Its 1937 recovery became California's greatest historical hoax. Robbins, who does not drink, clutched a Pepsi. This site is also dedicated to all ECV members and is God bless, Cat. E Clampus Vitus ECV 1004 Sam Brannan Fraternity Club Enamel Member Lapel Pin. $19.99. Michael was an instrumental and vital player during the startup phase and transitioned nicely into the corporate environment after the acquisition. VTG California FRATERNAL 3 1/2" Button~"E. CLAMPUS VITUS"~Jim Savage 1852 'SB'~ $24.99 + $3.75 shipping. E Clampus Vitus, or ECV as it is also known, succeeded and flourished where other orders failed for it was Bee's belief that any man of upstanding character who was of age could join, unencumbered by the restrictions of other fraternal organizations. Pride in Californias history rescued E Clampus Vitus from oblivion, however. For two days we had more fun than the law should allow, and did everything from playing darts to holding a butt contest for the band members who played for us on Saturday night. Membership in E Clampus Vitus declined in the late 1800s, but experienced a revival in the 1930s and is still going strong today. The fraternity is not sure if it is a "historical drinking society" or a "drinking historical society." About a decade ago, they had put up more than a thousand historical markers, and by now that number is far higher. On a recent afternoon, Garth Brooks Friends in Low Places played over the speakers, and a few Clampers sat around the well-worn wooden bar. The branch of E Clampus Vitus descending from the Chinese chapter established by the Vituscan missionaries, however, has not the only claim to being the origin of Clampers in the New World. The motto of the Order, Credo quia absurdum, generally interpreted as meaning "I believe it because it is absurd;"[1] is a Latin phrase popularly misattributed to Tertullian. Hollister, CA 95023, Grill: The fact that it is not meant to be taken seriously would have been even more apparent had I shared with you the one line that St. Vitus was said to have put into writing about E Clampus Vitus before he was martyred: credo quia absurdum, I believe because it is absurd. Stop in and see whats cookin today. Like many others I thought the name had to stand for something but in researching the organization I found that it's just a name its originator made up. Ancient photos indicate that ECV No. If they are Californian historians, than they should receive some E pluribus unum to erect markers, and build/restore what ever has to do with the history of Ca. And this may be even closer to the E Clampus Vitus of the Gold Rush Miners. Free shipping for many products! The unusual anatomy of these Clampas indicates that Lo-Hung-Whang survived Hop Mees mutiny and managed to father children, or perhaps was kept as a sex slave himself as he had previously kept Hop Mee, for the peculiar trait that gave him his crude sobriquet was observed by the Frollicking Friars in the naked Clampas who charged at them. I had read that too. As far as the ECV is concerned, all members are officers and as such are all of equal indignity. New members, referred to as Poor Blind Candidates, could present a poke of dust, valued at the discretion of the brotherhood to join, and it wasnt uncommon for the fee to be waived if the man could not afford it. The early history of the organization is unclear. To the Noble Grand Recorder, Officers and Greybeards of Jim Savage Chapter ECV 1852: I, _____, hereby petition humbly for membership into the most Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus. 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. The society was also quick to help the widows and orphans of fallen members. He can hook you up. A bunch of Clampers in 1973 got a boat and chucked a plaque into the water. . Despite St. Vituss death, the order survived as a monastic tradition carried on by the Vituscan brothers. Ron Oxley, a Clamper, has a drink next to the E Clampus Vitus Wall of Comparative Humbugery inside the Plumas Club in Quincy, Calif. (Hailey Branson-Potts / Los Angeles Times). Heliodoricus describes the great success they had at converting the Chinese, introducing the customs of their order halfway around the world. The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus (ECV) is a fraternal organization dedicated to the study and preservation of the heritage of the American West, especially the history of the Mother Lode and gold mining regions of the area. We would Love to have you folks in our parade ! Out of the hundred or so attendees at the event, about half dressed in period clothing, and our lively group from Hollister stood out in the crowd. YB1 X NGH #62, DB #88 Porter steam locomotive that had been submerged in a reservoir for eight decades. So, they both describe uncontrolled shaking, as in the DTs, as in the morning after tying one on with cheap booze. Seemed to have buckets of fun when I was young, and, hope they still are! to the members of Estanislao Chapter #58 of the Ancient and Honorable Order Some chapters built or rented their own Hall of Comparative Ovations. 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. This combination of raucous humor and practical charity made E Clampus Vitus the largest secret society in northern California within a decade of its founding. Clampers and Widders are encouraged to dress in period clothing for this extravaganza, and we turned finding our costumes into another party. They were a HOOT ! The men of E Clampus Vitus a.k.a. Inside, the officers the Noble Grand Humbug, the Royal Gyascutis, the Clamps Petrix, the Clamps Matrix, the Grand Imperturbable Hangman, and many others (as all Clampers are, by definition, officers) presided over meetings well lubricated with beer and cheap whiskey. The museum boasts a treasure-trove of Clampers relics, Gold Rush artifacts and antiques from the areas once-large Chinese population. This voyage was undertaken by one of low birth, the son of a servant woman who cleaned the privy chambers of the Empress. . Never mind. Drive through the remote Northern Sierra town of La Porte population 26 and its hard to miss the Clampers presence. 1 talking about this. [3], Bee felt that an organization was needed that was less exclusive than the other organizations of the day, such as the Masons, Elks and Odd Fellows. Among the most colorful of nineteenth-century American secret societies, E Clampus Vitus was founded by goldminers in the frontier town of Mokelumne Hill, California in 1851, in the midst of the Gold Rush. The church likely came to this conclusion based on the behavior of his followers, the Dumbellican Brotherhood, who received the nickname the Frollicking Friars due to their licentious behavior. Travelling salesmen entering the mining camps could find no patrons, and entertainment troupes could not fill their audiences, until they agreed to join the ranks of the society, to be taken in, as it were, which meant the miners would be able to drink on their dime for the night. The group parodied the sashes and ceremonies of stuffier and wealthier social clubs, like the Odd Fellows and Freemasons. In fact, as the legend goes, not much was known about their origins because they always got drunk at their meetings and the next day, nobody could remember exactly what transpired. The sergeant-at-arms is the Damfool Doorkeeper. Satisfactory! And thats what the Clampers are, family. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. Copyright 2022 - South Pass Chapter #1867 All Rights Reserved |/\_/\| As the gold was mined out and the mining towns dwindled, however, E Clampus Vitus faded as well, and the Hewgag announced a meeting of the original order for the last time in Quincy, California in 1916. Now she gets excited when she spots an ECV bumper sticker or plaque. Indeed, his adventure would inspire another expedition many years later, this one more purposeful and also less successful. Allen was nineteen at the time and came to Hollister from San Jose, where he was living, for weekend visits. He lifted the leg of his jean shorts and shrugged as he revealed the absence of any scar to support the story and Koens nickname. Chapter presidents hold the ceremonial title of Noble Grand Humbug. Afterward everyone toasts the new member with drink. Yes ..we survived. C $26.72 + C $14.02 shipping. It appears to have begun in West Virginia, dreamed up by a blacksmith and tavern keeper named Ephraim Bee sometime during the early 1850s. All members are officers and all officers, the organization professes, are of equal indignity. Everyone pitched in from the bands that played, to the kitchen help, and many donated cash to cover the costs of food or just kick in towards the cause. ECV historical plaques are found on many buildings around California. 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). Your email address will not be published. In addition, nativism was rising in the United States, as evidenced by such political organizations as the Know-Nothing Party. Like many others I thought the name had to stand for something but in researching the organization I found that its just a name its originator made up. I hope you enjoy i,t and if youd like to read itautographed copies are available at Johnnys, I couldnt helpshameless the plug. These Native Americans brandished their own staffs, but these would bring the friars no relief. It was revitalized in 1931 by Wheat and his friends G. Ezra Dane and Leon O. Whitsell. Mural depicting Califia, fictional Amazonian queen for whome California was named, via Wikimedia Commons. Here are 22 essential L.A. spots for every tourist, Column: We cant afford another writers strike. In late December 1895-January of 1896, a British expatriate, Lord Sholto George Douglas (7 June 1872 - 6 April 1942), the fourth son of John Sholto Douglas, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry, John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry, was managing a travelling troupe of actors on a tour of Northern California. New York Times, 14 Oct. 2008, p. A12(L). associated with fun, frolic, libations and California history. The NIGHT we will NEVER FORGET! Lodge meetings might be held twice a week,[4] or weekly. God bless, Cat, You will need a sponsor. They are responsible for building the historical monuments you see all over the Western United States. Thank you all for your camaraderie. Many people believe that they are just a drinking club that requires members to take part in wild initiation ceremonies, which is entirely true; however they have played an important part in preserving our history. One of the early capitals of California was Benicia. Most ECV chapters hold what they call a Widders Ball once a year. Clampers raised money to help widows and orphans, and were quick to respond when fire or flood destroyed towns and left people homeless. A bar owner named Ephriam Bee established the ECV in Lewisport, West Virginia, claiming to have received an ECV charter from the Emperor of China. Members commonly dress in a red shirt, black hat and Levi's jeans. Mon Fri 11 am 2 am Dont forget that Mark Twain was a Clamped also! No matter what one makes of the meaning of the orders name, it cannot be denied that its central figure was Saint Vitus, after whom Sydenhams chorea, or St. Vituss Dance was named, that malady being one suspect for explaining the notorious Dancing Plague I have discussed in the past. According to the story, Hee Lis vessel was blown out to sea by a storm, and by some cosmic mischance, a cockroach-like beetle had gotten into his only compass, misaligning the needle and dying inside, out of sight. The fraternity is not sure if it is a historical drinking society or a drinking historical society. There are chapters in California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Outposts in other western states, including us in Wyoming. of E Clampus Vitus. In determining when the society of E Clampus Vitus began and who started it, it is necessary to consider its name.
