The Probable History of a Unique Historical Society

A (rough, to say the least) account of the history of the Clampers.

Nov 15, 2022

~Disclaimer: I am by no means a historical expert. I do not claim to be, nor do I have any degrees or formal education in the subject. I am simply a woman, sitting in front of a laptop, googling facts about random things, begging for you to love me— I mean, read me. Please take everything I post with a grain of salt as I can only find what the Google Machine chooses to show me. I try to dive as deep as I can and the following article is made up of my own personal accounts added to a couple of days’ worth of research. If you have any questions or inquiries about the subject, I have provided several locations available to visit for more information, or you can ask me as I have personal ties to the organization itself! While it won’t be a full-on source page, I will list the websites at which I found my information at the end of this, and every, article.~

As someone who was born in Las Vegas, and raised in this mountain area, near “Grub Gulch,” which, as we will read, has long since withered away, I have always found myself interested in the history of this place, and truthfully any place I visit. Grub Gulch used to be situated on the land between Raymond and Ahwahnee, along what is now Road 600. If you’re reading this, my first “newsletter,” if you will, chances are you know me, or you are interested in the history too. Something I always find myself looking for; monuments and historical plaques, and without fail, I always look for the persons who dedicated them, hoping to find someone who I may have a small kinship with. You may have heard of them, met them, hell, you might be one of them. That’s right, I’m talking about the Clampers. A rough-and-tumble, “absurd” historical society that has been referenced since at least the mid-1800s. I’ve always had an interest in this group, though I cannot join (men only, and that’s fine.) I’ve been surrounded by the culture my entire life because my father and grandfather were both Clampers. My grandfather, Bill “Stinky” Williams was actually the Humbug in the local chapter for quite some time. I remember being just a little girl and watching the monument for the Sugarpine Flume being put together. If my memory serves me correctly, that is the same monument that my sister and I, at very young ages (I was two and a half, so it must be a core memory) were allowed to gingerly place two rocks into the side of the monument in the concrete. I was raised in the Clamper culture, and while many members were rowdy, I loved it. It wasn’t until I was much older, though, that I would wonder where this historical society got its start. The story I asked my grandfather seemed amazing to me, I almost didn’t know if I could believe it. Now I want to share that information with you, and please, take everything I say with a grain of salt. After all, the Clamper credo is “Credo Quia Absurdum” which means, “I believe because it is absurd.”

The society, formally known as E Clampus Vitus (which means nothing), began in the mid-1800s in West Virginia. The founder was named Ephraim Bee and started the group, it is believed, to poke fun at the hoity-toity societies of the time, like the Freemasons and the Odd Fellows. The men dressed in red long johns and overalls with leather stitched patches and beer can bottoms for pins. According to Ron “Right-On” Oxley of the Las Plumas Del Oro Chapter #8, the Clampers are, and seemingly always have been, and non-profit historical society. His chapter serves Plumas, Lassen, and Modoc Counties, (“with the exception of the SW corner of Plumas Co, belonging to the Frank C Reilly #5978, and the exception of a small triangular section of Chester, Lake Almanor, Clear Creek, and Westwood belonging to Vigilantes #1911,” per the website ecvgazette.com) An article in the LA Times lists several of monuments in this area:

Truckee-The Tin Can Bar from the early 1900s and Dot’s Place, a brothel
Mono County-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
Prattville-Original buildings are submerged beneath Lake Almanor: in 1973, rather than erecting a monument, they chucked a plaque into the water.

Chapter presidents are called “Humbugs”, while the Sargeant-at-arms is known as the Damfool Doorkeeper. There are 45 Chapters in 8 western states, with thousands of members. Contrary to many sites that mention the society beginning in gold mining towns in California, it was actually credited to Ephraim Bee, who started the society in West Virginia. This article tells us about Ephraim and the reason behind the festival that is actually held in his name.

Ephraim was born on December 26th, 1802 in Salem County, New Jersey. In around 1822, Ephraim had moved to Doddridge County, West Virginia and by this time, he was already a master blacksmith. He also held the titles of innkeeper, magistrate, Militia captain, and “Grand Lama of E Clampus Vitus.” He was also proud to have once been known as the “Ugliest Man in West Virginia.” He married Catharine David on June 19, 1823. According to the same website, Ephraim was originally pro-slavery and owned two female slaves, one aged 25-35, and one aged 10. However, once he learned that the issue of slavery would eventually lead to civil war, he decided that he was against it and voted for emancipation. While campaigning for local office, Ephraim told the people he was, “for sustaining the government if it took every man in the country to do it, and the government had to be carried on by the women and children.” In around 1850, Ephraim proclaimed himself the Grand Hototote of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus. Records report he did this to “thumb his nose” at other societies that membership was based on wealth and social status. Ephraim was excellent in his craft, but a blacksmith was not well off in social status, no matter how well they did. Ephraim also only had around 2 years of education. Accounts of E Clampus Vitus were references as early as 1853 in papers from New York, to South Carolina. About ten years after his death, an article was published by an unknown author in the Parkersburg State Journal in 1898 titled “Story of an Old-Time Secret Order and Its Founder.”

In West Union, Doddridge County, West Virginia, the historical marker for Ephraim Bee reads as follows:

“Blacksmith, innkeeper, an operator of the “Underground Railroad.” A captain of the Doddridge County Militia, a member of the first West Virginia State Legislature, in 1863, serving 3 terms. The founder and Grand Royal Gyascutis of the Most Vitus, Ephraim was known throughout the country as a garrillous story-teller and practical joker. Legend has it that around 1845, 1st US Ambassador Caleb Cushing returned from negotiating a treaty with China and entrusted Ephraim Bee with the Sacred Mantel of Grand Llama and Mutuals from either the Mysterious Emporer of the Celestial Kingdom of China or by the Remnant of the “Sons of Liberty”, notably agents of the late great Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. Bee then brought forth and promoted the rapid growth of E Clampus Vitus. In the years to follow, ECV was reorganized in San Francisco with the motto “Credo Quia Absurdum” and became the thriving historical society it is today.”

As mentioned, Ephraim was a member of the Doddridge County Militia, which was tasked with protecting the area from roving confederate soldiers, horse thieves, and outlaws. The Militia also helped aid the Underground Railroad. According to Clamper legend, Ephraim, after changing his mind about slavery, helped to hide slaves in nearby Jaco Cave during the Underground Railroad. As the old story goes, he would throw loud, drunk parties at his inn for confederate soldiers to distract them and preoccupy them as slaves were being moved from one safe space to the next. While I can’t find much mention of these parties, there is a subtle mention of Bee helping Jaco in the Underground Railroad movement, and I would be willing to accept that the rest is lost in history because of the secretive nature of the Underground Railroad itself.

Now, on to how the society was brought to California. According to this website, most chapters were started in mining towns. Joe, or Joel Zumwalt, depending on accounts and who you ask, is credited with bringing the historical society to California mining towns after seeing the odd, or absurd, practices in a printing office in Bowling Green, Pike County, Missouri. Zumwalt attempted to set up a lodge in Placerville in 1850, but the miners in the area had not settled down quite yet and the lodge was unsuccessful. In 1851, Zumwlat went to Mokelumne Hill and re-established the Clampers and it “spread like wildfire.” There are records of lodges in Morristown, Rabbit Creek (La Porte), Howland Flat, Sawpit Flat, St Louis, Port Irvine, Freeze Out, and Helios Delight. Others could be found in larger towns like Sacramento, Marysville, Stockton, Petaluma, Benecia, Yreba, Nevada City, Auburn, Placerville, Sonora, Mariposa, and many, many others. There were even records found of chapters existing as far north as Canada.

Currently, according to this website, all counties in California either have a chapter of their own or share a chapter with another county. There are also Chapters in Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and Idaho. Our local chapter, as many of you know, is Grub Gulch Chapter 41-49. On the website dedicated to our local chapter, the history of this particular chapter and the sigil on most plaques in the area; the wild rose. Some of you may know, Mariposa used to extend from its current northern border south to around San Diego. Madera County didn’t exist until 1893. Places like Fresno Flats (Oakhurst,) Texas Flats (Coarsegold,) and Grub Gulch (the stretch of land between Ahwahnee and Raymond,) were rarely mentioned. Grub Gulch had two hotels. several saloons and sometimes were as populated with as many as 5,000 miners. The Gambetta Mine of Grub Gulch even had its own stamp mill but eventually, it stopped operations due to flooding. According to the website,

“[Grub Gulch] was an important stage coach stop for tourists going to Yosemite or miners seeking the Mother Lode. A convenient route to these destinations was by train to Berenda, train to Raymond, and stagecoach for overnight stay in Grub Gulch. Many of the Argonauts stopped here only to obtain enough gold for a grubstake to pay their way north to the richer fields. Hence the name ‘Grub Gulch.’”

Placer mining eventually became uneconomical and a lot of these mining towns withered away into ghost towns. Grub Gulch almost disappeared entirely, with the exception of two very prolific wild rose bushes. Although they were left unattended and neglected for many a year, they decided that they would survive. These bushes became known as the “Grub Gulch Rose",” and clippings from these bushes were taken by those that admired them. Between 1972 and 1974 the bushes were vandalized, uprooted, and left to wither away, much like the mining town they represented. However, the Clampers acquired five rootings from these bushes, from Elmer Tuschhoff, XNGH of the Jim Savage Chapter and ex-Proctor of the Grand Council. “The bush dedicated in Murphys, Ca. to Dr. Coke Wood is a direct descendant.”

“The Grub Gulch Rose is our Chapter emblem and our Talisman.”

The Clamper Creed reads as follows, according to the Grub Gulch website:

“As I pass through this life, may I always be humble. May I never take myself serious (a stuffed shirt). May I always appreciate a little bit of the “rediculous”. May I always be a two-fisted Clamper when the bottle passes my way, and if I am inable and can’t hold it like a man, then may I always be able to “Pass it on to the next Brother”. May I never forget the stout-hearted men who settled a great Western wilderness, and the heritage we have today. May I never fail to appreciate a bit of Western lore.”

There is an easily found list of Plaques and Monuments, but I will list them for you here anyway for easy access as well.

To learn more from actual members, you can visit their “waterin’ holes"

Casey’s Iron Horse Saloon
520 Gateway Drive, Madera, CA
Frontier Inn Tavern
32265 Front Street, Raymond, CA
Hitchin’ Post
42592 Highway 49, Ahwahnee, CA
Nugget Saloon
Highway 41, Coarsegold, CA

Clampers are well known for being a close brotherhood, and for taking care of widows, wives, and children of members. They take care of each other and they work to preserve the history of the area. They’re also absurd, and absurdly fun.

As I said at the top of this letter, I am by NO MEANS an expert. If you have any other questions or inquiries, PLEASE find your nearest Clamper and have a chat. Most of them LOVE to talk. My personal favorite and I might be biased, is Big Bill “Stinky” Williams at the Frontier in Raymond. I also enjoy talking to his son, “Little Bill” Williams (I usually call him “dad”), who you can also find there some nights. Go visit your nearest waterin’ hole. I promise it’ll be anything but boring!

It’s been a pleasure,

Becca

Source list:

https://mynews4.com/amp/news/knowing-nevada/knowing-nevada-the-clampers-a-historically-absurd-historical-society

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-clampers-history-20171110-htmlstory.html

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/e-clampus-vitus-secret-society.amp

https://www.ephraimbeefestival.com/about-ephraim-bee

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=31822

https://www.doddridgecountyroots.com/tng/getperson.php?personID=I20587&tree=dcr

https://juliacbulette.com/ecv-history/

https://ecv1846.com/maps/ecv-chapter-map/

https://www.grubgulch41-49.com/historypages/index.html