Alaska

Alaska. Alaska was acquired by the United States in 1867 and, in the following year, the Grand Master of the State of Washington issued a dispensation for a lodge at Sitka. Returns for the first year showed 7 initiated, 5 passed, and 4 raised. A charter was issued Sept. 17, 1869 for Alaska Lodge No. 14 with a membership of 10. That was not a very encouraging beginning but, to make matters worse, a dispute arose over the authority of the District Deputy Grand Master over the lodge. The lodge continued to work until 1872, when its charter was recalled. On Dec. 9, 1879, another dispensation was issued for a lodge at Sitka, which was chartered Apr. 4, 1880 as Jamestown Lodge No. 33, but the charter was recalled in 1887.

The discovery of gold in 1898 in the Canadian Yukon adjacent to Alaska brought great numbers of fortune seekers from all over the world. A recognition meeting was held at which there were Masons from the United States, France, Canada, Sweden, New Zealand, Philippines, Madagascar, Morocco, Mexico, Wales, England, Germany, Austria, Norway, Hawaii, Canary Islands, Arabia, Egypt, South America, Argentina and other countries. On Nov. 15, 1900, a dispensation was issued by the Grand Master of Washington for a lodge at White Pass, and a charter followed, June 12, 1901 for White Pass Lodge No. 113 at Skagway. In 1907, the first chapter of Royal Arch Masons was chartered at Fairbanks. A Grand Chapter of Alaska was formed in 1952.

Macoy Collector's Note: The gold rush history of Alaskan Masonry highlights the incredible, global reach of the Fraternity, bringing together brothers from every continent in the harshest of environments.