Mullan Pass Historic Lodge #1862
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Size: 
(small)
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Both of my Grandpas were Masons, so this is a small tribute to them. The container is a small lock-n-lock hidden near the Mason Historic Lodge #1862, the site of the first Mason meeting in Montana. During the summer, the cache is accessable by passenger car with a short walk over prairie-like terrian. A 4x4 may be needed if the road is very wet or snow covered. In the winter this cache may not be available.
Now a little history:
The first meeting of Masons in Montana was on September 23, 1862, when three brethren with the first Fisk expedition, then camped on the Mullan road at the summit of the Rockies, went through the ritual of opening and closing a lodge. They were Nathaniel P. Langford, David Charlton and George Gere, all members of Minnesota lodges.
The record of this first meeting of Masons in Montana was recorded in the Grand Lodge Proceedings of 1867 and was recounted by Nathaniel P. Langford, Grand Historian (and later Grand Master):
"...It was a clear September twilight when we camped on the western side of the range of the Rocky Mountains, where it is crossed by the Mullan road. The labors of the day over, three of our number---a brother named Charlton, another whose name I have forgotten, and myself---the only three Master Masons in the company, impressed with the grandeur of the mountain scenery and the mild beauty of the evening, ascended the mountain to its summit, and there, in imitation of our ancient brethren, opened and closed an informal Lodge of Master Masons."
"...Never was the fraternal clasp more cordial than when in the glory of that beautiful autumnal evening, we opened and closed the first Lodge ever assembled in Montana."
"...It is one of those facts that will reach forward into our history, and seize upon those undying elements which shall transmit it to posterity. The fact will render the spot sacred---and once known among Masons, it will never be forgotten, that the first Lodge in the Territory was opened and closed upon the summit of the Rocky Mountains.
I might dilate upon the beauty of the evening upon which we met; the calm radiance of the moon and stars; the grandeur of the surrounding scenery. We exchanged fraternal greetings, spoke kind words one to another, and gave ourselves up to the enjoyment of that elevation of spirit which Masonry, under such circumstances, alone could evoke; and when we left the summit of that glorious range of mountains, to descend to our camp, each felt that he had been made better and happier for this confidential interchange of Masonic sentiment. "
In the minutes of Helena Lodge No.3 from July 25th, 1940 show that “a Lodge of Master Masons was opened at 8:00 P.M. on a spot near the site of the First known meeting of Masons in what is now Montana, on Mullan Pass west of Helena…”
The minutes of Helena Lodge No. 3 from September 3, 1954 show that “It was the consensus of the Brothers present that the meeting should become an Annual Affair and a permanent site secured on Mullan Pass if Possible”.
The minutes of Helena Lodge No.3 from July 15, 1955 show that “a marker was being completed, consisting of an oblong monument built of fieldstone and mortar some two feet wide, three feet long and 30 inches high with a granite cap seven inches thick by two feet four inches wide by three feet four inches long with a bronze plate to commemorate the site. This monument, which is in the form of an altar, was placed on a solid concrete foundation. Three additional concrete slabs were constructed as bases for the seat and pedestals at the stations of the Wardens and Master.”
The annual meeting at Mullan Pass has been continuously conducted by the Helena Area Lodges; Helena Lodge No.3, Morning Star No.5, King Solomon No.9 and Ottawa No. 51, through July of 2004.
During the 138th Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Montana a petition for Charter as a Historic Lodge was presented and unanimously passed. Thus creating Mullan Pass Historic Lodge No. 1862.
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The cache is NOT hidden at the Masonic site, but nearby. Take your time and enjoy the area, but Please DO NOT drive over the grasslands to get to the cache, or it will have to be removed.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ynlf ybj va gur whavcre.