Los Angeles Times Article on E Clampus Vitus

Above, an E Clampus Vitus flag. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For those who are of superior intellect and are curious about the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus (ECV), the Los Angeles Times published an article on the Order in 2017.

It starts with:

Everyone had forgotten about the Butt Lake Dinky by the time workers in 1996 dredged up the rusty H.K. Porter steam locomotive that had been submerged in a reservoir for eight decades. 

That lack of remembrance didn’t sit right with the Order of E Clampus Vitus, a men’s fraternal organization with chapters scattered around Gold Country. They commemorated the teeny train with a bronze plaque. 

From his perch at the Plumas Club, a dive bar that serves as his chapter’s de facto headquarters, Ron “Right-On” Oxley swirled a vodka and cranberry juice and tried to sum up his often misunderstood group. 

“A lot of people get confused and think we’re a bunch of drunkards,” said the resident of Quincy, a small mining town. “We’re actually a nonprofit historical organization.” 

America is full of memorials for epic battles and soaring monuments and somber cradles of famous historical figures. The men of E Clampus Vitus — a.k.a. the Clampers — don’t bother with those. 

“We believe in the absurd,” said Gene Koen, a Clamper from Oroville.

Satisfactory! 

To read more, go here.