A Mass Initiation in Colfax
An unprecedented surge in membership sees the Woodmen of the World initiate thirty-eight new members in a single ceremony.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Colfax, March 18—This city has furnished an unprecedented event to the history of the Woodmen of the World. Camp 116 was established here in May, 1892, with fifteen charter members, which number slowly increased to thirty-eight. A public installation of officers was then held and members joined in soliciting recruits. In a short time fifty-two names had been received. Of these thirty-eight were received in time to have the insurance applications passed upon by the head camp at Pueblo, Colorado, and returned in time for initiation. Consequently on Thursday night, March 9, thirty-eight new members (the exact number of the entire membership of the camp at that date) were initiated at one time and in one body. This is the largest number ever initiated at any camp of the order, the largest number previously being twenty-one initiated into the camp at Omaha, Nebraska, last summer. The occasion was celebrated with a banquet at which 100 covers were laid.
“This is the largest number ever initiated at any camp of the order.”
In an era before mass digital media, fraternal lodges provided essential life insurance and community benefits. This record-breaking initiation highlights how aggressive, localized networking was used to build these powerful social institutions during the boom years of Washington State.
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