Odd Fellows Cupertino 70 Lodge

At a meeting, in the office of Dr. E.H. Durgin, on March 21, 1899, in Westside, California, a group of the local citizens met to consider the proposition of organizing a lodge of The Independent Order of Odd Fellows. To be granted a Charter requires the consent of Nine (9) lodges in the County, as well as compliance with the Grand Lodge By-Laws.

April 15, 1899, was set for the culmination of the proposition to form a lodge and to be conducted in the H.V.A. Hall, Westside, California. This hall also to be the regular meeting place on a rental basis at a fee to be established.
On April 15, 1899, in the H.V.A. Hall, Westside, Ca., Grand Warden J.S. Robinette called the meeting to order for the purpose of Institution of a Lodge of I.O.O.F., in Westside, California.

The Grand Warden appointed the following officers, Pro Tem, for the purpose
of hearing the petitioners for a new lodge:
D.J. Maddox, Lodge #238. Deputy Grand Master
H.E. Perks, Lodge #238, Grand Warden
H.C. Mumford, Lodge #52, Grand Marshal
W.W. McKee, Lodge #238, Grand Conductor
C.M. Beall, Lodge #18 (Iowa), Grand Guardian
In addition, the following officers were present, and in their respective offices:
George T. Shaw, Grand Secretary
M.P. Forbes, Grand Herald

A lodge having been declared duly opened, the Deputy Grand Master and
Grand Marshal presented the following petitioners for a new lodge:
J.D. Williams, J.C. Martin, W.T. Baer, Norman Dunbar,
E.H. Durgin, A. Neilson, D. Gartelman, Charles H. Smith,
and J.R. Johns.

The petitioners satisfactorily answered the questions proposed, and being duly obligated, CUPERTINO LODGE #70, I.O.O.F., under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the State of California, was declared duly and regularly instituted.
The numeral 70 was originally that of Mount Shasta Lodge, in Yreka, CA., having been instituted on August 20, 1857 and existed as a lodge until December 24, 1875. On that date Mount Shasta consolidated with Yreka Lodge #19, Thus leaving #70 open and ultimately available for designating it for Cupertino on April 15, 1899.