Grand Lodge of Manitoba
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Freemasonry in Manitoba can be traced back as far as 1813.
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[edit] History
Representatives of three Lodges decided to accept the responsibility of forming the Grand Lodge of Manitoba on May 12, 1875. The three Lodges were renumbered, as follows: Prince Rupert's No. 1; Lisgar No. 2; Ancient Landmark No. 3. The jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba besides Manitoba, included the North-West Territories, afterwards known as Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Yukon. There were only three lodges within the wide jurisdiction assumed by the young Grand Lodge and the combined membership was less than 200. Four brethren organized the Grand Lodge of Manitoba, William C. Clarke (First Grand Master in Manitoba), who had been initiated in True Briton Lodge No. 14, Perth, Ontario; William N. Kennedy (First Deputy Grand Master in Manitoba), who had been initiated in Corinthian Lodge No. 101, Peterborough, Ontario, James Henderson, who had been initiated in Zetland Lodge No. 21 and John H. Bell, a native of London, Ontario who had been initiated in St. John’s Lodge No. 20, London, Ontario.
A dispensation was issued to John’s Lodge No. 4 on July 7, 1875. St. John’s Lodge was given dispensation due to many unaffiliated brethren hailing from the Maritime Provinces, from Western Ontario and the United States who desired to do their ceremonies in York Rite. August 17 hailed the first cornerstone lied in Manitoba of the old City Hall and Market building.
In 1878 the 2nd Grand Lodge of Manitoba was formed. The trouble developed over which ritual would be authorized, the Canadian work as practiced in Ontario, or the "American Work" or commonly known as York Rite. Masons in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, North-West Territories wanted a dispensation to form Kinistino Lodge but the existence of two Grand Lodges in Manitoba, the nearest Grand Jurisdiction, causing doubt. they applied to the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario. The first meeting of this lodge was held on Friday, 3 October 1879, the first Worshipful Master being Chas. F. Young. Kinistino Lodge was numbered 381 on the Grand Registry of Canada. In 1882 arrangements were made with the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario to transfer Kinistino Lodge to Grand Lodge of Manitoba, becoming Kinistino Lodge became No. 16. Later becoming Kinistino Lodge No. 1 under the Grand Lodge of Saskatchewan
In 1880 M. W. Bro. Rev. Canon S. P. Matheson was elected Grand Master of the original Grand Lodge of Manitoba. After four months of being Grand Master permitted the use of the two rituals in the jurisdiction, and allowing the lodges the option of choice.
The first Lodge to receive dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Manitoba outside of its geographical borders was Saskatchewan Lodge No. 17 in Edmonton, the second being Pequonga No. 22, meeting at Rat Portage, in 1882.
[edit] History of Freemasons in Manitoba
The history of freemasonry in Manitoba began with Charles Curtis, a blacksmith, being crowned "The Father of Manitoba Masonry", was the first Master Mason to reside in Manitoba. He was initiated July 31, 1855; Passed 14 September; Raised 12 October; in Collins Lodge, No. 215, meeting at Bryan, Ohio. He demitted from his Mother Lodge, 28 August 1857. Between the latter date and the date of his wedding in 1859, in St. James Church, Manitoba, he had taken up permanent residence at Sturgeon Creek.
In 1861 Sir John Christian Schultz, who was later a Manitoba politician, part-owner of the Nor'Wester newspaper, and a bitter opponent of the Hudson's Bay Company moved to the Red River Colony.
A third brother in the person of Matthew Connor was also at Red River.
In the summer of 1863, Hatch’s Independent Battalion of Cavalry, Minnesota Volunteers, was organized and sent to the International border and located at Pembina in Dakota Territory to assist in the Dakota War of 1862 who had been in revolt. Among the troops were a number of Freemasons and under the leadership of C. W. Nash, who became the Worshipful Master, a dispensation was obtained from the Grand Lodge of Minnesota to open Northern Light Lodge at Pembina. Worshipful Master C. W. Nash writes:
“The prayer of the petition was granted; the Grand Master remarking that by this step the brethren of Fort Garry would be able to secure, what for long time had been their desire. That it would open the door to those who were worthy and well qualified. That it was hoped and expected that there would be a sufficient number apply for the degrees who were permanent residents of Fort Garry and vicinity to warrant the planting of a Lodge there, whenever the troops were moved away. If this should be the case the brethren upon a proper petition were to have a petition issued.”
In January 1864, using the officer quarters, the original Northern Light Lodge held its inaugural meeting with John C. Schultz occuping the Junior Deacon’s chair. The Secretary of the Lodge, William Coldwell, a recent arrival from Ireland and the editor for Red River’s first paper The Nor’Wester[1] writes:
“A party from this Settlement proceeded to Pembina a few weeks since to join the Masonic Order, through the Lodge established there. They took the necessary degrees to qualify them to open a Lodge here, which it is their intention to do on receipt of a dispensation from the Grand Lodge, application for which has already been made. We will be glad to see Masonry fully established in our midst, for in its organization and teachings it is admirably adapted to do good in every community, irrespective of class, creed or nationality. It has its secrets — the secrets of ages — and what others have been so well kept? Pretended revelations have been made by those who know the public was always eager to find out a secret, and would be willing to pay well to satisfy its curiosity; but they knew little, for the working of the order is as much a mystery to outsiders now as it was in the far distant past from whence it dates its origin."
Lower Fort Garry, ca.1949Four new members received all three degrees at the one meeting, a procedure was not uncommon a century ago, were Andrew Graham Ballenden Bannatyne, a prominent businessmen and a later supporter of Louis Riel, William Inkster, a Public Surveyor, William Benjamin “Billy ” Hall, an excellent nurseryman and farmer, Robert Morgan and William Coldwell.
A petition was drawn up on April 27, 1864 to the Grand Lodge of Minnesota:
“The undersigned petitioners being Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons, having the prosperity of the fraternity at heart, and willing to exert their best endeavours to promote and diffuse the genuine principles of Masonry, respectfully represent that they are desirous of forming a new Lodge in the Red River Settlement, Rupert's Land, to be named Northern Light Lodge; they further pray for letters of dispensation, or a warrant of constitution, to empower them to assemble as a legal lodge to discharge the duties of Masonry in a regular and constitutional manner, according to the original forms of the order, and the regulations of the Grand Lodge. They have nominated and recommend Brother John Schultz, to be the first Master, Andrew G. B. Bannatyne, to be the first Senior Warden, and William Inkster, to be the first Junior Warden of said Lodge. If the prayer of the petition is granted, they promise a strict conformity to the constitution, laws and regulations, of the Grand Lodge. Andrew G. B. Bannatyne, William Inkster, Charles Curtis, W. B. Hall, Robert Morgan, William Coldwell, John Schultz, Matthew Connor Assiniboia, British America, 27 April 1864."
On May 8, 1864, the soldiers were moved to Fort Abercrombie, and all the papers, records, petitions and documents along with the dispensation were returned to the Grand Lodge of Minnesota.
On May 20, 1864, the dispensation was issued at St. Paul, Minnesota, under Grand Master A.T.C. Pierson with the response:
“During the year, I renewed the dispensation of Northern Light Lodge removing it to the Red River Settlement.”
The first meeting of the newly inaugural Northern Light Lodge was held in the lodge room over the store of Andrew G. B. Bannatyne on November 8, 1864.
Between the years of 1868 and 1870, Norther Light Lodge ceases all activity due in part to the Red River Rebellion.
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