"First county Granges established in 1904," reads the headline over a story that ran in The Daily Chronicle on July 23, 1982. It was written by Ann Trout Blinks, who named five Lewis County Granges as the first to be organized here in 1904. While it's definitely true that 1904 was a prolific year for new Lewis County Granges, there is evidence that at least two others were organized before that.
Blinks reported that the five Lewis County Granges organized in 1904 were Ethel 150, Silver Creek 152, Forest 153, Alpha 154 and Hope 155. She also wrote that Ethel Grange was organized on Feb. 16, 1904, and was the oldest of the county Granges.
Ethel Grange is said to have been organized by D.L. Marble, a state Grange organizer at the time. In fact, reported Blinks, all five Granges organized in 1904 were started by Marble.
However, in an unattributed article found in the Lewis County Historical Museum files, we learn that the first Grange organized in Lewis County was actually the Cowlitz Grange No. 35, organized in 1874. The Baw Faw Grange, according to the bicentennial edition of The Daily Chronicle on July 1976, was also said to have been organized in 1874.
"Cowlitz Grange No. 35 was the first Grange organized in the Northwest, and for some time it was the only Grange north of LaCamas, Wash. The first master was H. Howe and the first secretary was G. D. Laughlin. Meetings were held at Cowlitz Corner," we read in the unidentified article.
According to The Daily Chronicle article, "Baw Faw Grange was organized in 1874 by E.L. Smith with 20 charter members. Mrs. Melissa Miller was a charter member. The first meeting was in a small lodge called the Good Templars Hall, located near Mill Creek."
A story by Carrina Stanton, which appeared in the April 22, 2006, edition of The Chronicle, describes the rise and fall of the Grange organization.
"The Grange, also known as the Patrons of Husbandry, is the nation's oldest national agricultural organization with 300,000 members in 3,600 communities across 37 states. Once 65,000 members strong, the Washington State Grange remains the largest among the states.
"Today, the statewide organization has shrunk to about 40,000 members in a few more than 280 Granges. Lewis County once boasted more than 20 Granges. Today, those numbers are in the teens."
Stanton continues, "The grass roots organization was founded nationally in 1867, and in Washington in 1889, just three months before statehood. It was one of the few organizations that had a hand in formation of many of the states' policies and procedures."
"At one time, Granges were spaced every few miles, and were the social centers for their neighborhoods. Granges sponsored basketball and baseball teams, held community dances and other social events, and even served as the location of weddings, anniversaries and funerals. The halls served as the backdrop for Christmas recitals, heated political debates and educational talks about blights to the crops."
Somewhere along the way things changed.
"'You gotta understand what's happened to the rural areas,' said Jerry Zabriskie, a member of the Baw Faw Grange. 'When I was a kid, farms were family-run, and Granges started as a social center for these families. The whole family went to the Grange together."
"Out in our area," said Zabriskie, "we have only a few family farms left."
Remember that Baw Faw Grange is said to be among the oldest Granges in the area.
Today, Grange memberships may have dwindled, but for years they are reported to have been the center of life around here - both socially and politically. In an article photo found in The Chronicle files we learn just how important their Grange was to one local family. Theodore and Hilda Teitzel of Chehalis, who had been married for 50 years when this story was written, had met at a Pomona Grange meeting. Not only had the Teitzels been married more than half a century at the time, they had been Grange members for more than 50 years.
Just how important a role Granges played in the early history of this county can be gleaned from their sheer numbers. By 1912, Lewis County had 12 Granges.
"In addition to the first five were: Newaukum Grange 198, organized Jan. 30, 1907; Oakview 311, May 14, 1909; Mossyrock 355, Jan. 12, 1910; Lincoln Creek 407, April 16, 1910; Alpha 417, July 8, 1910; Fords Prairie 33, July 18, 1911 and Baw Faw 34, May 18, 1912."
Two other Granges, Cowlitz Prairie 737 and Cougar Flat 138, are reported to have been organized in 1910.
The date listed for the organization of the Baw Faw Grange above does not agree with the 1874 date cited earlier. But there's good reason for that, according to a Daily Chronicle story of 1976.
"The Baw Faw Grange disbanded soon after (it was organized) and reorganized in 1912 with 45 members. Early records of the Grange were destroyed in 1928 when the home of Mr. and Mrs. Glen Roundtree burned to the ground."
The St. Urban Grange 648 was organized on March 13, 1918. Then there were the following: Randle Grange 865 (1928); Morton Grange 1066 (1935); Logan Hill Grange 1086 (1937); and Crego Grange (1937).
Pat Jones is The Chronicle's lifestyle editor. She may be reached by e-mail at pjones@chronline.com, or by telephoning 807-8226. The Lewis County Historical Museum's Internet address is www.lewiscountymuseum.org.
