The fraternity is not sure if it is a "historical drinking society" or a "drinking historical society." Hollister, CA 95023, Grill: Those groups had come to the mining country prior to ECV, and when ECV appeared, the older, more established groups looked down upon the more rowdy nature of E Clampsus Vitus. This historical drinking society--though some argue it is more a drinking historical society--proves its historical bonafides by placing historical plaques across the American West. In return, since St. VItus refused to attribute the miracle to pagan gods, Diocletian tortured him to death. This fraternal organization, reborn in the 1930s, today boasts that their members number in the tens of thousands in more than 40 chapters scattered across the Western United States, but by far their numbers are highest in my home state of California, where much of the orders history takes place. the Clampers dont bother with those. CA FRATERNAL 2 1/4" Button~"E. CLAMPUS VITUS"~Jim Savage Widders Nite 1976~ C $26.72 Eventually, upon making landfall at what is modern day Monterey and finding the dead bug in his compass, Hee Li, himself a dedicated Clamper, declared the new land Gumshaniana, or Gum Shan, and set about instructing its native inhabitants in the traditions of E Clampus Vitus. I appreciated that so much. Now she gets excited when she spots an ECV bumper sticker or plaque. The NIGHT we will NEVER FORGET! E Clampus Vitus: Anthology of New Dispensation Lore. HISTORY and Ritual of E CLAMPUS VITUS. Vintage ECV E CLAMPUS VITUS CANDLELIGHT April 13, 6007 BUTTON Pinback. I am sorry to say that none of this is real history! The organization today claims 45 chapters in eight Western states and thousands of members. Members call themselves "Clampers." They are responsible for building the historical monuments you see all over the Western United States. If our mayor was a Clamper, it was Tommys duty to dust off the old red and black and honor the tradition. Not Hollywood, not L.A., not the country, At 19, he won a local school board seat. There is one tale that tells of these two branches of Clamperism meeting. Wm Bull Meek - Wm Morris Stewart Chapter No. 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. God bless, Cat. This was the beginning and the foundation of the modern day Clampers, although today, as I understand it, it is more of a plain old drinking society that enjoys to play pranks. Well, to be fair, it does appear that Gold Rush miners had a fraternal organization called E Clampus Vitus, and it is true that Carl Wheat revived it in the 1930s, but all of the lore I just shared with you was fiction playfully concocted by the New Dispensation under the Chapter Redivivus. Indeed, these natives appeared ready to use their formidable weapons against the Dumbellican Brothers. I will commence with a discussion of the rather successful revival of a secret society that died out with the end of the California Gold Rush of the 19th century. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for CA FRATERNAL 2 1/4" Button~"E. CLAMPUS VITUS"~Jim Savage Widders Nite 1976~ at the best online prices at eBay! Thereafter free to pursue his dream life as a sailor, Lo-Hung-Whang always kept that massive toilet with him to remember his deliverance. In his letter, Heliodoricus describes a long and arduous journey of four years that he took with nine fellow Vituscan missionaries all the way to the Far East. A "second era" version of the organization was formed in 1930 by San Franciscan attorney and cartographic historian Carl Irving Wheat. Koen has been a Clamper for 17 years and has served as the Chapter 5978 Humbug. It is basically a lack of calcium which causes the body to shake or tremor. Dr. Shaw of New York City, in 1890 during his own mission to China. To illustrate better the playfulness of their plaques, consider the strange upside-down house built by silent film star Nellie Bly in the town of Lee Vining, which they commemorate with an upside-down plaque. Now, he cant stop reading about it. Site created and designed by Steve "Iggy" Myers. If one finds it hard to credit such ancient origins of the order, alternative etymology suggests E Clampus Vitus to be a Latinate phrase, with E meaning out of, Clampus being a combination of clam, or ignorance or darkness, and pos, meaning after. Finally, Vitus would be vita, or life, making the entire translation out of darkness, after life, as in seeking after life. VTG California FRATERNAL 3 1/2" Button~"E. CLAMPUS VITUS"~Jim Savage 1852 'SB'~ $24.99 + $3.75 shipping. Id like to share en except frommy book Miracles and Grace in an Unlikely Place Memoir of a Christian Biker Bar Owner with you that tells the story of Johnnys and our connection to the Clampers. Sponsored. Considering all the false and absurd history told by the Clampers, in the end, its hard to believe anything you read about them. No one knows. The nickname "Clampers" is still used, as is the motto "Credo . They frequently trekked through the vastness of the Sierra Nevada to reach lonely miners who otherwise would have had no Christmas celebration. ), The organization's leader was known as the Noble Grand Humbug, a title carried over into the later incarnation, and other "officials" included the Clampatriarch. RESPONSIBILITY for this web site. E Clampus Vitus was one of several brotherhoods that swept as many as 40 percent of American men into their fold during the "golden age of fraternalism" in the late nineteenth and early. The history of E Clampus Vitus is steeped in mythology. The three founded a new chapter, Yerba Buena Number 1, or the "Capitulus Redivivus." A NON CLAMPER'S GUIDE TO CLAMPERDOM. God bless and keep you, Cat, One of our first Clamper gatherings at Johnnys. [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 The ECV are still responsible for building the historic-site plaques you see all over the Western United States, and Im proud to say that one was erected on Johnnys patio to honor our own Wino Willie Folkner. Allen, always feeling it his duty to look out for ladies, possibly because he grew up with a single mom, had no problem with my plan. The heart of the rally this year will take place at the . Both legend and scholars agree that the group was founded in West Union, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1845.[3]. I have felt like a helping hand all my life. [9] A 20th century chapter of the ECV was named for Lord Sholto Douglas in honor of this event. Samuel G. George 1855~ at the best online prices at eBay! The Clampers, according to the Frank C. Reilly Chapter of Northern California, have plaqued hundreds of places, from ghost towns to saloons, from bordellos to ranchos, from heroes to madmen.. Some of our Presidents were rumored to be Clampers starting with George Washington. Do You think the Clampers #1846 Montery Viejo would want a spot in the Aromas Day parade ? YB1 X NGH #62, DB #88. Free shipping. However, one can express his desire to join. 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. My cousin was a clamper. As Facebook will attest, everyone had a great time and Dave and his family were more than blessed. Sir Francis Drake's 1579 Plate of Brasse was left at Point Reyes, claiming California for England. I did, however, make the chili Saturday night, and was glad to be able to help out. Heliodoricus describes the great success they had at converting the Chinese, introducing the customs of their order halfway around the world. I have a question. 7-11. Site created and designed by New York Times, 14 Oct. 2008, p. A12(L). A lot of people get confused and think were a bunch of drunkards, said the resident of Quincy, a small mining town. Vitus was used to describe Parkinsons disease, which they called Saint Vitus Dance. As a boy, he said, hed take a school bus from near a bar, and after school, thats where everyone seemed to be. They commemorated the teeny train with a bronze plaque. These poor women were subjected to terrible abuses, and if they dared raise their voice in protest, they were silenced by having a handful of red pepper powder thrown in their faces. There were chapters in British Columbia and Hawaii, but they no longer exist. The Clampers' Book of Balladry or Hewgagiana, Credo Quia Absurdum: Being a Compilation of Historic Documents & Trivia Pertinent to a Full Understanding of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus, The Story Of E Clampus Vitus (Then and Now 1852-1966), The enigmatical book of Vitus, in which is included the marvelous histori es & astounding prophecies of the clampatriarch, the Credo in absurdum according to St. Vitus, the one true & [Leather Bound], An hour's walk through Yerba Buena : the town that existed for eleven years seven months and five days then became San Francisco 1957 [Leather Bound]. 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. However, Dumbellicus resisted, biting off his own tongue and making himself pass out, so that he retained, in theory, his purity. 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. In Mono County, a Clampers plaque honors the Legend of June Lake Slot Machines: illegal machines said to have been tossed in the lake in the 1940s and sought by cold-water divers. The question then becomes whether it was the particular Chinese brand of E Clampus Vitus passed down through the native progeny of Hop Mee, Empress of Gumshaniana, that was practiced by the miners of Gold Rush California, or whether it was the form spread by the Frollicking Friars during their rapacious journeys through the New World. [citation needed], The original E Clampus Vitus faded in some regions after the Civil War, while in other areas it thrived until 1918. Shaw came across a Chinese manuscript that, astoundingly, indicates a Chinese navigator by the name of Hee Li discovered America, and more specifically California, as early as 435 CE, making the Chinese claim of discovery even earlier than the claims of Pre-Columbian transoceanic contact by Vikings. Edited by Thomas Duncan, Lulu Press, 2009. This is the Facebook site for ECV Chapter No. Initiation rituals for PBCs (Poor Blind Candidates) consisted mostly of raucous pranks. I informed him weeks in advance that he was going to be the designated driver for all of the Widders. See Freemasonry; Odd Fellowship. YB1 X NGH #62, DB #88 10. The timeline doesnt seem to jibe, though, for how could Zumwalt have brought E Clampus Vitus to California in 1849 and established the first chapter here in Calaveras County in 1851 if Ephraim Bee was only just forming the first chapter in West Virginia in 1853? In 1931, a new chapter of E Clampus Vitus was founded in San Francisco with the help of Adam Lee Moore, one of the few surviving members of the original order. VIII: The California-Oregon Stage Route (ECV 7-11), E Clampus Vitus, now & then: The replete history of ECV, Ritual and ceremony of initiation of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus 1959 [Leather Bound], Adam was a Clamper: An abridged history of Clamperdom from the Garden of Eden to Hangtown and the founding of Platrix Chapter No. Hee Li relied entirely on this broken compass, following it ever eastward, despite never finding the shores of his homeland. We dont put up with no hittin on women or beatin' on kids, Koen asserted. The last of the Dumbellican friars are said to have encountered a band of Native Americans calling themselves Clampas in Arizona. Judge Frazier. 1 talking about this. Afterward everyone toasts the new member with drink. The official site for South Pass Chapter #1867Home of the WY 67ers, The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus(ECV) is afraternal organizationdedicated to the study and preservation of the heritage ofthe American West, especially the history of theMother Lodeandgold miningregions of the area. In Truckee, the group paid homage to the . The organization's name is in Dog Latin, and has no known meaning; even the spelling is disputed, sometimes appearing as "Clampus," "Clampsus," or "Clampsis." There are chapters in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Wyoming. In Truckee, the group paid homage to the Tin Can bar from the early 1900s and Dots Place, a brothel. These Native Americans brandished their own staffs, but these would bring the friars no relief. The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus the fraternal organization dedicated to the study For him, it was the charity work of E Clampus Vitus that drew him in. It is the misfits, failures, fugitives, outcasts and their like who are among the first to grapple with the new.Eric Hoffer (19021983). The museum boasts a treasure-trove of Clampers relics, Gold Rush artifacts and antiques from the areas once-large Chinese population. My husband frank reddick belonged to modesto chapter i believe it was 59 well he passed in aug and im having a hard time this xmas and cant catch up on bills i had covid in july julyright before i lost him 35 yrars of marrage i dont know who to turn to for help, Credo quia absurxium mean I believe because it is absurd, Your email address will not be published. Graybeards and members of Estanislao Chapter 58, E Clampus Vitus or Grand It is the only party that we ladies are invited to attend. Certain circumstances support an ECV claim to having initiated Ulysses S. Grant into the Order. By tradition, a man can only become a Clamper by invitation. Likes: 0. Hailey Branson-Potts is a Metro reporter for the Los Angeles Times who joined the newspaper in 2011. We are still good friends with lots of folks from the group. to the members of Estanislao Chapter #58 of the Ancient and Honorable Order When we embraced the ECV we added an entire new dimension to life at Johnnys. When Tommy came home on Sunday morning he found me on the couch more hungover than he was, and our house was a disaster. registered trademarks of E Clampus Vitus, Inc. and are used by expressed That was Vitus Gerulaitis. C $13.35 + C $19.15 shipping. The name E Clampus Vitus means absolutely nothing. Back in the day, if a miner got killed and left behind a wife and children, Clampers made sure they were well cared for, he said. plural clivi -v. And thats what the Clampers are, family. Stop in and see whats cookin today. The truth of this is attested in another historic discovery, made by one Rev. 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. P.O. The men headed out of town at three in the afternoon on Friday, and our party started before their vehicles left the parking lot. 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. My son Allen Tyson is on Facebook and may be able to lead you in the right direction. From his perch at the Plumas Club, a dive bar that serves as his chapters de facto headquarters, Ron Right-On Oxley swirled a vodka and cranberry juice and tried to sum up his often misunderstood group. 10, P.O. $19.99. The first ECV chapter was established in America in 1845. 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. (Sure sounds like a Clamper to me). Thus with the discovery of the New World, many of the Dumbellican Brotherhood were only too eager to leave the old world behind and joined the ranks of armies led by such famous conquistadors as Pizarro and Cortes, who made plenty of widows for the breechless brothers to comfort. 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. By tradition, a person could join E Clampus Vitus by invitation only and then was expected to endure an elaborate, humorous and sometimes grueling initiation ceremony. After many years of being dormant, it was revived in the early 1930's, and has chapters throughout the West. The same holds true today, which brings me to why I wrote this blog. The Many community leaders and business owners found it to their advantage to join the Order and follow the bray of the hewgag, for Clampers were loyal and tended to vote for their . He (Sholto) agreed, and tonight the opera-house was packed."[8]. What was the last thing your held in Meetings of E Clampus Vitus chapters which could be held at any time before or after a full moon were held in saloons, and announced by the braying of the Hewgag, a makeshift trumpet. permission. However, rather than finding themselves hailed and well met, they instead found themselves under attack by the Clampas. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Chapter presidents hold the ceremonial title of Noble Grand Humbug. There is some evidence to support that Grant was a member. 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