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This rare c1922 postcard depicts the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks BPOE Building #25 in Bozeman, Montana.
Approximate size: 5.4 inches x 3.4 inches
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City.The communal tomb of Elks Lodge No. 30 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Elks was established by actor Charles Algernon Sidney Vivian – a British expatriate and member of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes – in New York City on February 16, 1868. Organized as a club for minstrel show performers, the impetus for the group's founding was the death of a fellow actor to disease due to a paucity of funds for treatment and a desire to organize communal support for fellow actors in need.
Founded as the "Jolly Corks", by December of 1868 it had adopted the name Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
By 1890, 173 lodges had been established throughout the United States.
In 1976, the Elks had 1,611,139 members. As of June 2020, it claimed to have more than 750,000 members.
Please inspect the pictures, as they give the best representation of condition.May have discoloring, edge or corner wear, marks, creases, fading, smudges, corner or edge bends, tears, or corners missing.
(C103 inventory number)
