Our Lodge was instituted on June 10, 1899 when three Elk
Brothers came by train from Pueblo, Colorado. Our Charter
was dated June 22, 1899.
In 1899 there wasn’t a Lodge in Monte Vista or Alamosa,
so we had members from all over the San Luis Valley. There
were 34 charter members, and the dues were $6.00. The Lodge
meetings were held in the Masonic Lodge, until October 22,
1902, when we moved to the second story of the Ewry Building,
which is now called the Elk’s Building.
Charles E. Ewry, a businessman, built a brick, one story
building, with his grocery store, Amethyst Post Office, and
a printing shop occupying the building. On July 9, 1902, the
Elk’s received a reply from Mr. Ewry that he would build
the Elks Lodge on his existing building upstairs. The lease
would be $80.00 per month and a lease of five years. The members
voted twenty-eight for and six against. The Lodge was completed
on October 22, 1902.
The Elk’s leased the second story until 1946, when
they purchased the entire
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building for $6,000.00. The Elk’s have
rented the ground floor as shops since then.
There have been Grocery stores, Pool Halls, Barber Shops,
Cafés, and Liquor Stores through out the years. Now
we have three businesses in this space.
The Elks Building has been used as a community center and for school plays, weddings, scout events, and funerals for
years.
In 1947, a Brother Elk, Mr. Litzo, willed the Elks Lodge
some AT&T stock, and it has grown substantially over the
years.
We have had two District Deputies that are known of. In 1912,
some of our brother Elks rode the train to Alamosa and instituted
their Lodge. The Creede Lodge also helped with the Monte Vista
Lodge in the 70’s.
We now have 180 members and are still very active in the community.
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