California Fraternal Lodges

About Fraternal Organizations in California

A deep look at the history, oldest lodges, membership process, and notable members of fraternal organizations across California.

History of Fraternal Organizations in California

California's fraternal heritage is the largest, oldest, and most institutionally significant of any state west of the Mississippi River. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows arrived almost immediately with the Gold Rush: California Lodge No. 1 IOOF was instituted in San Francisco on September 9, 1849 — the same year California organized its provisional government — and the Grand Lodge of California IOOF was chartered in 1853. Within a decade, IOOF lodges existed in every major California gold-camp and port town, providing mutual-aid benefits to a transient population that had no other means of insurance, no relatives close by, and no organized public welfare.

The Odd Fellows Cemetery in San Francisco eventually became one of the largest fraternal cemeteries in the country before its 1929 removal to Colma. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks established California presence remarkably early. San Francisco Elks Lodge No. 3 was instituted on December 18, 1876, making it one of the three oldest Elks lodges in the United States and the oldest west of New York.

Los Angeles Elks Lodge No. 99 was chartered on November 5, 1888, only a few months after the lodge's parent organization recognized the rapid growth of Southern California. Sacramento Elks Lodge No. 6 was chartered in 1880, San Diego Elks Lodge No.

168 in 1891, Oakland Elks Lodge No. 171 in 1891, and San Jose Elks Lodge No. 522 in 1899. By 1910, California had more Elks lodges than any state outside the Northeast and was on track to become the largest state Elks association in the country — a distinction it has held for most of the past century.

The Loyal Order of Moose reached California in the early 1910s, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles, founded in Seattle in 1898, spread quickly south into California through railroad workers, longshoremen, and entertainment-industry mechanics. The Knights of Columbus established California presence with San Francisco Council No. 615 in 1902, and the order expanded rapidly through the heavily Catholic Italian, Irish, Portuguese, Mexican, and German immigrant communities of California. The mid-twentieth-century population boom that took California from 7 million in 1940 to over 30 million by 1990 produced enormous fraternal expansion, with hundreds of new lodges chartered to serve postwar suburban communities from the San Fernando Valley to Orange County to the Bay Area suburbs.

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in California

The California-Hawaii Elks Association is the largest Elks state association in the world, governing a network that historically extended into Hawaii during the territorial period and continues to do so today. California hosts approximately 245 active Elks lodges with combined membership exceeding 100,000, making the state the unrivaled leader in Elks membership both nationally and historically. San Francisco Elks Lodge No. 3 (1876) is one of the three oldest Elks lodges in the country, surviving the 1906 earthquake and fire that destroyed its first clubhouse and continuing to occupy a downtown San Francisco building.

Los Angeles Elks Lodge No. 99 (1888) historically anchored Southern California Elks activity and at its mid-twentieth-century peak was one of the largest individual Elks lodges in the world by membership, though it has since transferred its operations to a smaller facility. Other historically significant California Elks lodges include Sacramento Lodge No. 6, San Diego Lodge No.

168, Oakland Lodge No. 171, San Jose Lodge No. 522, Long Beach Lodge No. 888, Pasadena Lodge No.

672, Fresno Lodge No. 439, Stockton Lodge No. 218, Bakersfield Lodge No. 266, Eureka Lodge No.

652, Santa Barbara Lodge No. 613, Santa Monica Lodge No. 906, San Bernardino Lodge No. 836, Riverside Lodge No.

643, Anaheim Lodge No. 1345, and Palm Springs Lodge No. 1905. The California-Hawaii Elks Major Project supports the California Elks Children's Therapy Program, which provides occupational, physical, and speech therapy and durable medical equipment to children with disabilities throughout the state.

The Major Project has historically been one of the largest charitable initiatives in the entire BPOE system, distributing many millions of dollars annually. The California Elks also fund Most Valuable Student scholarships at the state and lodge levels, the Hoop Shoot, and substantial veterans' programming including the largest Elks Veterans Service program in the country measured by hours of volunteer service.

Loyal Order of Moose in California

The Loyal Order of Moose in California operates approximately 110 lodges under the California Moose Association. Long-standing California Moose lodges include Los Angeles Moose Lodge No. 1024, San Francisco Moose Lodge No. 26, Sacramento Moose Lodge No.

95, Oakland Moose Lodge No. 1107, San Diego Moose Lodge No. 1731, San Jose Moose Lodge No. 1392, Fresno Moose Lodge No.

1466, Bakersfield Moose Lodge No. 1517, Stockton Moose Lodge No. 1284, Long Beach Moose Lodge No. 911, Riverside Moose Lodge No.

689, San Bernardino Moose Lodge No. 626, and many others spread across every major metropolitan area. California Moose membership exceeds 60,000 across men's lodges and Women of the Moose chapters combined. Each California Moose lodge contributes per-member dues to Mooseheart in Illinois and Moosehaven in Florida, and California has historically been one of the top contributing states to both flagship facilities owing to its sheer membership size.

California Moose lodges have been particularly active in disaster response, opening lodge halls as emergency shelters and relief distribution centers during wildfires, earthquakes, and floods. The California Moose Association also funds substantial state-level scholarship programs and youth-camp scholarships that send children to summer camps including those at Mooseheart. The Women of the Moose chapters in California are similarly substantial, often matching or exceeding men's-lodge fundraising and membership in major metropolitan areas.

Eagles, Knights of Columbus & Other Fraternal Orders in California

The Fraternal Order of Eagles maintains approximately 90 active aeries in California, with major aeries in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, Long Beach, Fresno, Bakersfield, San Jose, Stockton, and Modesto. The Eagles' historical advocacy for Mother's Day, Social Security, and workers' compensation laws is celebrated in California aerie literature, and the order's national charity for diabetes, cancer, and kidney research receives major support from California aeries. The Knights of Columbus in California is the second-largest state jurisdiction in the world, behind only Texas. The California State Council oversees approximately 850 councils across the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Archdiocese of San Francisco, and the Dioceses of San Diego, Orange, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Jose, Oakland, Stockton, Fresno, Monterey, and Santa Rosa, with combined membership exceeding 100,000.

San Francisco Council No. 615 (1902) is the oldest, while Los Angeles Council No. 621 (1902) is similarly historic. Major California KC councils are too numerous to list but include flagship councils in every diocesan see city.

The California Knights are major fundraisers for Special Olympics through the annual Tootsie Roll Drive, and California KCs have historically funded hundreds of ultrasound machines for pregnancy resource centers across the state through the order's Ultrasound Initiative. California KCs also support seminarian formation at the multiple seminaries serving California dioceses, particularly St. Patrick's in Menlo Park and St. John's in Camarillo.

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows retains a substantial California footprint with approximately 90 active subordinate lodges, the most of any Western state, including the historic California Lodge No. 1 in San Francisco.

California Fraternal Lodges by the Numbers

California's fraternal community is the largest in the United States, reflecting both the state's enormous population of approximately 39 million and its diverse fraternal traditions. The state hosts approximately 245 BPOE Elks lodges with combined membership exceeding 100,000, the highest of any state. The Loyal Order of Moose operates approximately 110 lodges with combined male and female membership of 55,000 to 65,000. The Knights of Columbus maintain about 850 councils across California's twelve Catholic dioceses, with combined membership exceeding 100,000 — the second-largest KC jurisdiction in the world.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles operates approximately 90 aeries with combined membership of 28,000 to 35,000. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows retains approximately 90 active subordinate lodges, more than any Western state. Geographic concentration mirrors California's population distribution: Los Angeles County alone hosts roughly 60 fraternal lodges across all orders, the San Francisco Bay Area hosts another 80, the San Diego metropolitan area hosts roughly 30, and the Sacramento Valley hosts approximately 40. The Central Valley, Inland Empire, North Coast, and Sierra foothills together host the remainder, with mountain and desert communities frequently sustaining a single lodge that serves as the principal social institution.

How to Join a Fraternal Lodge in California

Joining a fraternal lodge in California follows national procedures with state-specific dues levels and customs reflecting California's high cost of living. California Elks (BPOE) require U.S. citizenship, age 21 or older, good character, and belief in God; sponsorship by an existing member is required, and most lodges require a second seconder. Annual dues at California Elks lodges typically run $120 to $300, with initiation fees of $75 to $250 — the higher end reflects metropolitan lodges with substantial clubhouse facilities including restaurants, function rooms, swimming pools, and parking infrastructure that requires significant maintenance.

The Loyal Order of Moose in California requires age 21 or older and good character, with dues running $50 to $100 annually. Knights of Columbus membership in California is restricted to practical Catholic men aged 18 and older — applicants complete a Form 100 through their parish and are inducted at a ceremony; California KC dues typically run $30 to $60 annually. The Fraternal Order of Eagles in California admits men 21 or older with belief in a Supreme Being; aerie dues run $50 to $90. Many California lodges actively recruit through community events, county fairs, parade participation, and partnerships with newcomer organizations.

Online membership prospect inquiries through the California-Hawaii Elks Association, California Moose Association, and California State Council of the Knights of Columbus are routinely forwarded to local lodges in the inquirer's city.

Notable California Fraternal Members in History

California's fraternal rolls include some of the most historically prominent figures in American public life. President Warren G. Harding, while not a Californian, had close ties to San Francisco Elks Lodge No. 3, where he was honored shortly before his fatal 1923 visit to the city.

Earl Warren, three-term California governor and Chief Justice of the United States, was a member of Oakland Elks Lodge No. 171 and frequently spoke at California Elks events during his governorship. Pat Brown, the two-term California governor and father of Jerry Brown, was a longtime San Francisco Elk. Hiram Johnson, progressive-era California governor and U.S.

Senator, was a Sacramento Elks member. In entertainment, Will Rogers — though Oklahoma-born — held honorary membership in Beverly Hills Elks Lodge No. 1184 and frequently performed for California Elks audiences. John Wayne was a longtime member of Newport Beach Elks Lodge No.

1767 throughout his career and continued the affiliation until his death in 1979. Ronald Reagan was an honorary Elks member through multiple California lodges before and during his governorship. Walt Disney was a member of Burbank Elks Lodge No. 1497 throughout his Burbank years.

Baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio, the San Francisco-born Yankee Clipper, maintained ties to San Francisco fraternal lodges throughout his life. In Catholic fraternal life, Cardinal Roger Mahony, longtime Archbishop of Los Angeles, was a strong supporter of the California Knights of Columbus during his three-decade tenure leading the largest Catholic archdiocese in the United States.

Frequently Asked Questions: California Fraternal Lodges

Sources & Further Reading

• https://www.elks.org/lodges/
• https://www.mooseintl.org/
• https://www.foe.com/
• https://www.kofc.org/en/who-we-are/our-history/
• https://www.chea-elks.org/
• https://www.californiaknights.org/