"We believe in the absurd," said Gene Koen, a Clamper from Oroville. New York Times, 14 Oct. 2008, p. A12(L). 1934 Accessed 19 Mar. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage ECV E CLAMPUS VITUS CANDLELIGHT April 13, 6007 BUTTON Pinback at the best online prices at eBay! Tommy was initiated into the ECV in 1985, and had neglected his lifelong membership for quite some time. Copyright 2008 All Rights Reserved. In the years that followed the revived E Clampus Vitus spread throughout northern California and into Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. Box 405, Nevada City, CA 95959 - The Website is. The name E Clampus Vitus means absolutely nothing. 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, E Clampus Vitus: Anthology Of New Dispensation Lore, A Nice Piece of Brass: E Clampus Vitus Plaques, 2013-2017, S.E.A.R.C.H. XVIII: Henness Pass (ECV-711), An E Clampus Vitus Hoax Goes Awry: Sir Francis Drake's 1579 Plate of Brasse, David Holmes Chandler, Dr. Robert J. , James M. Spitze, Stephen Zovickian, What was your name in the States? Gale OneFile: Business, https://link-gale-com.libdbmjc.yosemite.edu/apps/doc/A186882569/GPS?u=modestojc_main&sid=GPS&xid=9c61987e. 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.A 20th century discovery in the Vatican Library tells the tale in the form of a letter by one Heliodoricus, himself a Vituscan. It is the Chinese, he says, who in mispronouncing their motto Ecce Lampas Vitae coined the modern name E Clampus Vitus, a revelation that caused much stir among the aforementioned theologians who had developed so many theories about the phrase and its implications for the origins of the order. ECV titles reflected the tongue-in-cheek nature of the organization. Pride in Californias history rescued E Clampus Vitus from oblivion, however. E Clampus Vitus and ECV are Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. Initiation rituals for PBCs (Poor Blind Candidates) consisted mostly of raucous pranks. WEBMASTER, VIGILANTE #183 . permission. God bless, Cat. In 1991 there were 50,000 Clampers in 62 lodges.[3]. On serpentine Main Street, with mining equipment from 1911 sitting out front, sits the Frank C. Reilly Museum, a two-story Clampers repository named after a local saloon owner who was Chapter 5978s first Humbug. Mon Fri 11 am 2 am Members call themselves Clampers. The organizations name is inDog Latin, and has no known meaning; even the spelling is disputed, sometimes appearing as Clampus, Clampsus, or Clampsis. The motto of the Order,Credo Quia Absurdum, is generally interpreted as meaning I believe it because it is absurd; the proper Latin quotationCredo quia absurdum est, is from the Christian apologistTertullian(c.160 c.220 AD), who rejected rationalism and accepted a Gospel which addressed itself to the non-rational levels of perception.. One enthusiast named Joseph Zumwalt, however, brought the order with him from Missouri to California during the Gold Rush or so they say. Ephraim Bees E Clampus Vitus grew a bit in West Virginia and elsewhere, but it faded away during his lifetime. At the time, secret societies were all the rage. The Frollicking Friars did much to spread their order, for its said they expanded on the notion of widowhood, applying the Staff of Relief even to women who they said had been widowed by their husbands neglect, and therefore they frequently were obliged to flee from one place to the next. They honor widows and orphans. That lack of remembrance didnt sit right with the Order of E Clampus Vitus, a mens fraternal organization with chapters scattered around Gold Country. ), 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. These fanciful claims show ECV's propensity for not taking much of anything particularly seriously, least of all itself. E Clampus Vitus was the result. If our mayor was a Clamper, it was Tommys duty to dust off the old red and black and honor the tradition. In addition, nativism was rising in the United States, as evidenced by such political organizations as the Know-Nothing Party. 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 . Indeed, his adventure would inspire another expedition many years later, this one more purposeful and also less successful. The first weekend is etched in my memory and will be forever. Indeed, these natives appeared ready to use their formidable weapons against the Dumbellican Brothers. The early history of the organization is unclear. Established May 1998 CY 6003 Considering Benicia's position as the major inland Army post and transport hub to the valley, both Grant's and 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. 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. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. We dont put up with no hittin on women or beatin' on kids, Koen asserted. There are chapters in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Washington, Idaho . Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I thought E Clampus Vitus was a tennis player, at first. Likes: 0. Life was good as prominent business owners in a small town. 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 fart machine with a remote my husband sneaked into Seth and Jeannies adjoining room made for another hour of entertainment. E Clampus Vitus originally began as a parody of mystical lodges, such as the Masons, Elks, and the Odd Fellows, which Clampers thought to be much too serious with their arcane rituals and fancy dress. God bless, Cat. At that time most of northern California was full of little mining towns and camps whose populations shifted constantly. 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. Of course, it may have been a combination of both. The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus (ECV), whose members are commonly known as Clampers, is a spoof on all other fraternal organizations. Hi Clampers, Im a member of ECV #3, Sacramento California, want to touch bases with yall, AF VETERAN HONERABLE DISCHARGE, MISS THE COMRADES! I am sorry to say that none of this is real history! Zumwalt organized an ECV lodge in Mokelumne Hill in 1851, when Mokelumne Hill Lodge No. They were contacted by Adam Lee Moore, one of the surviving leaders of the original ECV, who passed on all that he could remember of the organization's rites and legends. registered trademarks of E Clampus Vitus, Inc. and are used by expressed ECV also claims Ulysses S. Grant, Lord Sholto Douglas,[A] J. Pierpont Morgan, Horace Greeley, and Horatio Alger as members, but claims have also been made to Adam (the first "Clampatriarch"), Solomon, Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar, Henry VIII of England, Sir Francis Drake, George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Ronald Reagan, and His Imperial Majesty Joshua A. Norton, "Emperor of these United States and Protector of Mexico". Want to leave a review about Clampers to be featured on our site? E Clampus Vitus: Villa de Branciforte Founded 1797, The Third Pueblo in Alta California by anonymous Paperback Ages: 12 years and up Seeing The Elephant by Sidney Blumner 4.7 (24) Kindle $299$9.95 Available instantly Other format: Paperback Norton The Third (Emperor Norton Book 3) by Mark Bowles 4.1 (5) Kindle $299 Available instantly registered trademarks of E Clampus Vitus, Inc. and are used by expressed A "second era" version of the organization was formed in 1930 by San Franciscan attorney and cartographic historian Carl Irving Wheat. Members call themselves "Clampers." Contains spam, fake content or potential malware. Sunday Brunch 9 am Many of the surviving stories suggest that in the 19th century, E Clampus Vitus was just a way to put one over on outsiders. Required fields are marked *, Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail. They commemorated the teeny train with a bronze plaque. A plaque placed by E Clampus Vitus stands beside the Butt Lake Dinky in Chester, Calif. Gene Koen, who has served as a Clampers Humbug, poses outside the Frank C. Reilly Museum in La Porte, Calif. Ron Oxley tells a story at the Plumas Club in Quincy, Calif., to Bruce Robbins and James Bruner. 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. 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. It was they who introduced the central Clamper symbol, the Staff of Relief, a decidedly phallic image. Ancient photos indicate that ECV No. So, they both describe uncontrolled shaking, as in the DTs, as in the morning after tying one on with cheap booze. One among these women, Lo-Hung-Whangs own concubine, Hop Mee, proved to be stronger and more clever than the men anticipated, though. 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. The first time the men informed us that they would be out of town for the weekend, some of the women were bothered that their husbands wanted to leave them for two days. 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 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. 2, E Clampus Vitus Plaques A Compilation of Historical Plaques Dedicated by the Several Chapters of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus During the First Fifty Years of the Revived Organization 1930-1980, S.E.A.R.C.H. The other secret societies all seemed to take themselves and their rituals far too seriously, and they were full of stuffed shirts, so Ephraim Bee founded a kind of parody of them, with nonsensical rituals, and a name that sounded Latin but was not thats right, E Clampus Vitus means nothing. There are chapters in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Wyoming. 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. If you are in or close to Hollister stop by Johnnys and talk to my son Allen on a Wed., Thur., Fri. or Saturday night. 526 San Benito Street Upon finally landing at Gum Shan, somewhere near modern day Mendocino, Hop Mee decided that she would be the empress of this new land, and it is said that she is the true Amazonian warrior woman whose legend inspired the fictional character Calafia, after whom California is named. HISTORY and Ritual of E CLAMPUS VITUS. After establishing himself as a capable navigator and having made some explorations of his own, he set out to organize a colonial expedition to Gum Shan after hearing of Hee Lis discovery. We had buckets of fun too. There were E Clampus Vitus chapters in Bedford, Pennsylvania; Metropolis, Illinois; Bowling Green, Missouri; and Dahlonega, Georgia. When a member became sick or injured, the group would collect food or money to help him. Once enlightened,a brother is a brother for life. Edited by Thomas Duncan, Lulu Press, 2009. The Royal Order of E Clampus Nortonus was created by Emperor Norton II in April 2008. It is basically a lack of calcium which causes the body to shake or tremor. 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. [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. The Sons of Malta, a fraternal society given to pranks and parody initiation rites, has been cited as an influence, even though the Sons of Malta do not seem to have existed until 1854 (though ECV may have inspired the Sons of Malta, as there were many disappointed by the California gold rush who returned East). 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. Chapters are permitted to modify their structure to meet the needs and desires of their membership. It will be on Sunday, August 30th, at 2pm. Site created and designed by Steve "Iggy" Myers. Very in depth look at the group, how it was formed, and some of its history. And perhaps thats just the way they like it. After many years of being dormant, it was revived in the early 1930's, and has chapters throughout the West. 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. Thanks for the comment. The society was also careful to assist the widows and orphans of fallen members. 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. 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