FORT NELSON MASONIC HALL

Fort Nelson Lodge No. 179

It is fitting that the last, and 170th, Lodge established under a Warrant of Constitution from the Grand Lodge of British Columbia during its century of existence should have been established in one of the remotest spots left in the province and, in fact, one of the very last of her frontiers.   

This time, the safari for the establishment of the Lodges takes one to the far northeast corner of the province, to Fort Nelson, situated on the Alaska Highway, some 300 miles to the north of “Mile 0” at Dawson Creek. Fort Nelson is the site of the original Hudson’s Bay Company's post, established in 1800. The town is said to have taken its name from Lord Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), the hero of the Battle of Trafalgar.

During the year 1967-68, Fort St. John Lodge No. 131 was given permission to hold under its charter a Lodge of Instruction in Fort Nelson, for the benefit of a group of brethren resident in that community.  

The Grand Master issued a dispensation for the new Lodge, and the Ceremony of Institution took place on May 23, 1969, under the direction of the District Deputy Grand Master for Peace River District 19. In the presence of the Grand Secretary, the charter for Fort Nelson Lodge No. 179 was granted in Grand Lodge on June 19, 1970, and the Lodge was constituted by the Grand Master on august 21, 1970. Fort Nelson Lodge chose the Canadian work for its ritual.