At the courthouse today researching the history of the tract we are to survey plus three adjoining tracts, what was a Santa Fe railroad-now-rail trail and an invisible electric railroad from the 1800's. ?ÿInvisible meaning absolutely no signs that anything ever existed in the area where it allegedly existed. ?ÿAll four tracts include the term "center line of".
Discovered one of the adjoining tracts ?ÿincluded a deed in about 1932 from Elmo Lodge of Perfection. ?ÿThis is in the boonies. ?ÿMy simple mind went to a group of jolly local yokels poking fun at pompous organizations in far off big cities at that time. ?ÿProbably a bunch of egocentric surveyors.
Went back one more step and learned Elmo Lodge of Perfection had acquired the tract in 1931 via court action to settle a debt owed by the previous owner for the unbelievable sum of more than $1600. ?ÿIn that time a dollar a day for labor was a fairly common pay rate. ?ÿI wanted to know what Elmo Lodge of Perfection was and how could anyone owe them so much money.
Turns out it was a sub lodge of the Wichita, Kansas organization of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. ?ÿThat would be about 120 miles from the survey site.
Did some Google searches this evening to learn it was created in 1888 in Wichita. ?ÿNo record appears to exist as to how the selection of "Elmo" was made. ?ÿThere have been numerous other lodges "of Perfection" across the US, including such labels as "Carmel" and "Mystic Tie".
Hoping some readers here can expound at length about this topic. ?ÿMy ignorance is showing.
queue ray stevens......
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Read somewhere that today is Ray's 8oth birthday.
It's probably a local chapter of the Lodge of perfection with the state association as the parent organization. That's why you found a lot of miles to the address listed, it was for the state.
What was the name of the interurban line?
Each State has a Grand Lodge of Free Masons and there are local lodges spread across the state. There are currently 250 local lodges in Kansas. It appears that Elmo Lodge no longer exists. When a new lodge is created it has to be sponsored by an existing lodge, this being the reason that Elmo may have been created in Wichita.?ÿ When a lodge closes the name and number are not usually used again, so a lodge may exist in the same local that Elmo did with a new name and number. More info can be found at?ÿ?ÿ http://www.kansasmason.org/
Kansas Southern Electric Railway
There is no record in the Register of Deeds Office in any form mentioning the creation or specific route. ?ÿThe only mentions are a result of the owner of the quarter section selling off the tract on the east side separate from the west side, apparently using the centerline. Eventually four tracts used that centerline as a boundary in this quarter section.
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http://wichitascottishrite.org/events/event/elmo-lodge-perfection-meeting-10/
Apparently it is still in Wichita.