E Clampus Vitus, is not your ordinary run of the mill fraternal organization. Its origins began back in the gold rush days of California. It was in a sense a spoof of the more “high faltunin” fraternal organizations like the Masons. A somewhat rowdy and rambunctious  group the new members were fleeced to pay for food and drinks for all in attendance. Tee-totalers they were not.

A strange development happened along the way, E Clampus Vitus invasion into Modoc County, far from any. of California’s goldfields—especially Modoc’s mining history is somewhat meager. Whatever the case may be, by the late 1870s, E Clampus Vitus was one of the most popular lodges in Modoc, beating out the Masons and the Oddfellows. By 1880, there were E Clampus Vitus lodges in Adin, Alturas, Cedarville, Fort Bidwell and Lake City. In 1878 the Modoc Independent newspaper reported the E Clampus Vitus lodge “were holding trials and issuing occasional threats to tar and feather vile characters if they did not leave town by sun down.”

Members of the organization were and still are referred to as Clampers. As quickly they rose in Modoc, their demise was fast. Some blame it on a temperance organization known as the Young Ladies Independent Association. Whatever the case may be, the Modoc Clampers quickly disappeared. However, the entire E Clampus. Vitus organization was slowly going into  oblivion. and by 1900 no longer existed. Unlike other fraternal organizations, the Clampers were an independent group, with no core headquarters.

By 1930, there was a revival of the organization, which now has Chapters instead Lodges across the Western United States. On a final note during the 1930 revival in Alturas witnessed the formation of Captain Jack Chapter No. 7, E Clampus Vitus..

Satisfactory!