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About the Lodge
Columbia Lodge No. 38 was instituted in December of 1902, and for the next 45 years met above Tegart’s Hall in Windermere, a small community across Lake Windermere from the current town of Invermere. Early descriptions of the original Lodge include the adjectives “cold” and “drafty”, with a small and unheated preparation room. The photo provided shows a modern version of this building which now appears to be heated and much less drafty! However, one can only speculate as Columbia Lodge departed this location in 1948; all the Columbia Lodge Brethren who attended there are now in the Grand Lodge above.
The sale of this building in 1948 necessitated the building of a new Lodge facility, but the town of Invermere was chosen as it had grown substantially and was now the largest community in the area, larger than Fairmont, Windermere, Athalmer, Wilmer, Edgewater, and Radium. The new location was the intersection of 7th Avenue and 13th Street (now referred to as “dysfunction junction”), with a small pharmacy located next door to the south. Columbia Lodge met here for 28 years; unfortunately, no photos of this building are readily available.
By 1976 the Pharmacy next door had grown in size and wished to expand, so a lease agreement was negotiated whereby the Pharmacy expanded into the Lodge building’s location. It now occupies the lower level of a new building with Columbia Lodge and York Rite bodies enjoying the increased space on the second floor.
Columbia Lodge No. 38 continues to be very active in supporting the local community. During the past youth programs, the local hospital, and other local charities have benefited from our contributions, including an individual bursary that was presented to one or more high school graduates during recent years. More recently we have sponsored “pizza bursaries”, a $200 grant to a group exhibiting citizenship and community service from each of the six local schools. Rather than being awarded to a single person, this bursary is intended to be used for a pizza lunch or other activity/items to benefit the entire group.
Location
1301 7th Avenue, Invermere, British Columbia V0A 1K0, Canada
Province
Lodges that meet here
Columbia Lodge No. 38
There are many communities that make up the catchment area for Columbia Lodge No. 38, and in 1902 the largest of these was Windermere, situated on the eastern shore of Lake Windermere. As would be expected of an area with many small towns, there was no overwhelmingly major employer or industry that would have created a company town; most locals were employed in smaller scale farming, ranching, mining and logging operations. Even the Canadian Pacific Railway had yet to arrive, with steamships navigating the Columbia River upstream from Golden to provide one of the main forms of transportation. Nonetheless, North Star Lodge No. 30 in Fort Steele recommended the establishment of a Lodge here in the Columbia Valley, and Columbia No. 38 was chartered in June and constituted in October of 1903 during the term of Grand Master Rev. Cato Ensor Sharp. Of the eleven charter members, perhaps the most well-known would be The Honourable Robert Randolph Bruce, who served as British Columbia’s 13th Lieutenant Governor between 1926 and 1931. It was he who presented us with the Volume of the Sacred Law that is still in use. Our first Worshipful Master was W.S. Ruttan.
Throughout the years Columbia Lodge has been characterized by, to quote a 1933 history of the Lodge, “the good fellowship in which the members live”. Many prominent citizens of the Columbia Valley have been proud to call themselves members, and there are many interesting stories as to how members travelled to attend Lodge in the early days: Lodge would at times start as late as 10:30 p.m., sometimes brethren would cut a few miles off their journey to lodge by walking across frozen Lake Windermere in the winter or rowing across it in the summer, and the evening chosen to meet was “the Friday on or before the full moon”. Considering that back in those days there were few roads that were travelable year-round, this schedule could only serve to help the brethren make it to and from Lodge meetings!
Although Invermere had overtaken Windermere as the hub of the area starting with the 1916 arrival of the CPR branch line on the west side of the lake, Columbia Lodge continued to meet in Windermere until the building was sold in 1948. After that, meetings have been held in downtown Invermere, in two different buildings at the corner of 7th Avenue and 13th Street. The current lodge facility also currently houses three York Rite bodies, and has also been home to a local chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.
Over the years nineteen members of Columbia Lodge No. 38 have been honoured with the rank of District Deputy Grand Master, and, in addition to many Grand Stewards, we have also had a Grand Chaplain, Grand Sword Bearer, and Grand Organist chosen from our brethren. It is also very interesting to note that there have been different generations of the same family serving as Worshipful Master over the years. It’s pretty hard to top the sense of community spirit in a small-town lodge!
