Master: Ephraim Sng, ephraimsng@gmail.com   Secretary: George F. Winters, Masonic.Historian@gmail.com

Camp Floyd Historic Lodge No. 205 Newsletter #2 2024

Dear Brother,

As we welcome the new year, I want to take a moment to wish each and every one of you a happy and prosperous 2024. This year, I am excited to embark on a new chapter of Camp Floyd Lodge with your help.

Our main focus for the year is the statewide outdoor degree at the location of the original Camp Floyd in Fairfield. I want to get a date targeted to be ready to be announced by Grand Lodge Communications. Does anyone have a contact at the State Park who can see if we can get a Saturday in May or June? I am considering These months as the weather will be nice and most lodges will be going dark and this event can keep Masonry interesting throughout the year. I think an outdoor Entered Apprentice or Master Mason Degree would be well attended. I think an EA Degree would be more inclusive for newer members in the Jurisdiction, but the traditional Outdoor degree has usually been the 3rd. What are your thoughts?

As we move forward into the new year, let us continue to support each other and work together to make our lodge stronger and more vibrant than ever before.

Also, special thanks Worshipful Brother George Winters for his continued dedication and service to our lodge.

Your Brother on the Square,
Ephraim Sng, P.M.
Camp Floyd Lodge #205

From the Secretary

Brethren All,

We had a productive meeting last month, and this year looks to interesting. If there is anything you need from me as secretary, please email, text or call me.

Here is a link to our November Meeting Minutes. If you notice any errors or omissions, please reach out to me, so that corrections can be made before the next meeting.

Visit our historic lodge's website, www.cfhl205.org where I have been posting the biographies of the founding members of Rocky Mountain Lodge # 205. If you are interested in submitting articles for the newsletter about relative subjects, please reach out. Your contributions will be appreciated.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions for our newsletter. Is the text to small? Would you like more photos? I appreciate your feedback.

Fraternally
George F. Winters, PM, Secretary
Masonic.Historian@gmail.com

From The West

Why focus on learning about our craft? Masonic education and learning go hand in hand with the ritual. One is useless without the other. An expert orator can deliver the most well-rehearsed, flowery, and emphasized ritual during a degree, but if he doesn't understand what he is saying, is it as impactful? How many times has a candidate heard a great performance and then asked, "what does that part mean?" . As a mason, I propose that learning is one of the important three tasks we are given when each of us were made a mason.

As most of you know, most stated meetings in the Grand Lodge of Utah open on the Entered Apprentice degree. All our degrees begin and end with a catechism-like exchange between the Worshipful Master and the Senior Warden-a reminder of the basic tenants and responsibilities of a mason for each of the three degrees.

In the Entered Apprentice degree opening and closing, an inquiry is given by the Worshipful Master to the Senior Warden. What came you here to do? The most monotonous response returned by our Brother Senior Warden is: To learn to subdue my passions [maybe a short pause is interesting here] and improve myself in masonry.

The response is ritualistically correct. I put to you, for your consideration, that we don't fully understand the weight of this response, nor are we fully realizing what we have been directed to do as masons. I offer you a possible new look at this line from our ritual and Entered Apprentice (EA) catechism. (Continued)

Please click on one of the following links to read or download the complete educational feature by Brother Gary Roberts.

Gary T. Roberts, Senior Warden
harmony_mason@pm.me

Masonic Pin Discoverd At Old Camp Floyd

Many of you have heard about the gold masonic pin discovered on the grounds of Old Camp Floyd by treasure hunter David L Kyte nearly 3 decades ago. The pin was pictured in "In Search of Johnsons Army" by Duane A. Bylund. Both the front of the newly discovered pin still showing some of the dirt before removal, and the back of the pin, where you can clearly see the missing clasp that may have been the reason the pin fell off of the Brother's uniform are pictured below.

   

When I was grand Historian, I reached out to Mr. Byland, who put me in contact with Mr. Kyte. I tried for nearly 3 years to purchase the pin for the collection of the Grand Lodge of Utah but Mr. Kyte's asking price was beyond my reach. The story would have ended there if not for Worshipful Brother Aaron E. Saathoff, PM of Wasatch Lodge No. 1.

Worshipful Brother Saathoff befriended Mr. Kyte, and invited him to visit the Salt Lake Masonic Temple. Within a few months, Mr. Kyte decided to donate the pin to Camp Floyd Historic Lodge and allow for a miniature pin to be created to raise funds for Rite Care. Worshipful Brother Aaron, and Most Worshipful Brother Everrett took matters in hand to have a miniature pin made and offered it for sale for $5.00 each. There pins are now sold out. Pictured below, you can see that the replica contains excellent details of the original.

A booklet authored by Brother Saathoff titled, "Rocky Mountain Lodge No. 205, A.F.& A.M. Fairfield, Utah Territory 1859-1861, is available for $30.00 plus postage. Please contact me if you would like a copy, there are currently 5 bound copies available.

To date, sales of the miniature pin have raised $1,500 for Rite Care.

If you visit the Salt Lake Masonic Temple, please take a look at the display case in the lobby installed by Worshipful Brother Saathoff. It contains the original pin discovered on the grounds of Old Camp Floyd and other documents pertaining to the original site.