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Using these Materials

Please contact the Center of Southwest Studies Archives Manager at archives@fortlewis.edu for more information about reproductions and accessing the collection.

 

Access Restrictions: There are no access restrictions on the use of this collection. The collection is non-circulating but open to the public for use in the Delaney Southwest Research Library at the Center of Southwest Studies.

 

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Preferred Citation: [Identification of item], [Collection Title], [Collection Number], Center of Southwest Studies, Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado.

 

Collection Description

Historical/Biographical Note: The Modern Woodmen ("of America" was later added to the name, to show patriotism), was founded in 1883 in Lyons, Iowa, by Joseph Cullen Root.  In 1890 Mr. Root split from the Modern Woodmen and founded the Woodmen of the World in Omaha, Nebraska.  Both are fraternal benefit societies established to provide life insurance and other services to their members.  Both still operate today.  For more information, see www.modern-woodmen.org and www.woodmen.com

The Aztec Camp No. 30 of Modern Woodmen of America was organized at a meeting in the Odd Fellows Hall in Durango, Colorado, on March 26, 1890, as described on page 70 of the Proceedings (Box 5, Folder 2).  Sometime subsequently, the camp switched to Woodmen of the World, as shown by the many references in the pages of this collection.  Following is a list of charter members and officers of the Durango chapter as of 3/26/1880:

Charter Members (Alphabetized by Last Name)

R. A. Ambold	A. W. Ayers	W. N. Bagby	A. C. Bagby
P. F. Bellinger	John F. Bell	P. Preston Bell	C. E. Beard
H. C. Bollinger	D. J. Blackburn	D. C. Coulson	G. V. Copp
Arthur Cornforth	J. P. Coston	L. L. Coston	James Curtin
Frank Cunha	E. E. Carrington	G. H. Clark
O. S. Galbeath	Jacob Fritz	James Fleffernan [Heffernan?]	J. F. Flechtman (Hechtman?)
George Freund	George Goodman	R. L. Hammett	A. M. Hedges
E. A. Hillman	H. G. James	C. L. Juell	E. Lambert, Jr.
W. L. Leeka	W. J. Longnecker	P. J. McCartneg	M. J. McCloskey
J. H. McHolland	M. P. McSwain	G. W. Milton	N. C. Miller
John Morelock	N. Nagengash	Charles Naegelin	P. J. O’Donnell
A. H. G. Palmer	C. A. Pike	Robert C. Prewitt	George N. Raymond
S. W. Raymond	H. R. Ricker	W. B. Robertson	J. L. Russell
D. C. Sargent	A. W. Seabury	Charles B. Shaw	D. L. Sheets
S. E. Herr	Sam Stein	Morris Stein	F. W. Strater
H. H. Strater	W. H. Wickline	A. R. Winters	S. G. Wall
George Weaver	S. A. Young

 

Elected officers:

• Venerable Consul: A. Cornforth
• Worthy Adviser: E. E. Carrington
• Clerk: J. F. Flechtman (Hechtman?)
• Excellent Banker:  F. W. Strater;  Escort:  N. C. Miller
• Camp Physician:  W. R. Winters, M.D.
• Watchman:  W. J. Longnecker 
• Sentry:  John Morlock
• Board of Managers:   H. H. Strater, for 1 year; E. Lambert, Jr., for 2 years; J. P. Coston, for 3 years
• Representative to Head Camp:  M. J. McCloskey; R. C. Prewitt (alternate)

 

Scope & Contents: This collection consists of approximately twenty-five volumes of minutes books/ proceedings, cash accounts ledgers, membership lists (members were referred to as "neighbors"), auditor's reports and other records of the Durango-Aztec Camp No. 30 of the Woodmen of the World; and a few other materials donated in memory of Mr. F. W. Kroeger.  It is useful for local history researchers who are studying the early founding fathers of Durango, and for genealogists, due to the relationship information contained in some of the ledgers.

 

Acquisition Information: This collection is the Center of Southwest Studies' accession 1965:07005.  The Kroeger family, a longtime family of the Durango area, donated the collection to the Center in 1965, in memory of Mr. F. W. Kroeger.  Mr. Fred V. Kroeger of Durango signed the deed of gift retrospectively on January 28, 1998 as the family's personal representative.

 

Processing Information: Center of Southwest Studies Archivist Todd Ellison and student archival assistants Rachael Black and Gretchen Gray arranged and described the collection in September of 2004.

 

Detailed Description of the Collection

Series and content descriptions
 

Series 1: Woodmen of the World Aztec Camp No. 30 (Durango, Colo.) records and correspondence and printed materials, circa 1901-1967, in one-half document case, arranged chronologically.  Includes bylaws, correspondence, and several folders of materials that were found with this collection, but which do not seem to pertain to it. 

Box 1: Woodmen of the World records and correspondence (1/2 document case)

Folder 1           Aztec Camp No. 30 membership roster and by-laws, circa 1921.  1 pamphlet.
Folder 2           Woodmen of the World correspondence, etc., 1908-1915.
Folder 3           Women of Woodcraft clerk’s official receipts, 1911-1912.
Folder 4           Woodmen of the World clerk’s official receipts, 1927-1930.
Folder 5           Porter & Hesperus mine field book, 1901-1906.
Folder 6           Boy Scouts of America first aid guide, 1928.
Folder 7            Colorado Odd Fellow magazine, centennial edition, 1967.  1 issue.

Series 2: Woodmen of the World Aztec Camp No. 30 (Durango, Colo.) meetings minutes (“proceedings”), 1890-1941, 6 volumes in 4 flat boxes, arranged chronologically.  The founding meeting minutes are in the combination registers in Box 5 that include the chapter's initial accounting records in a separate section of each volume.

 

Box 2: Woodmen of the World accounts ledger and proceedings/ meetings minutes (1 flat box): 1897-1917.

Folder 1           Aztec Camp No. 30 accounts ledger, 1897 Feb. 2 – 1917 Nov. 1 volume; 472 pages; indexed in front of the ledger.
Folder 2           Aztec Camp No. 30 meeting minutes, 1897 Oct. 13 – 1905 Feb. 11.  1 volume; 300 pages.  Includes record of proceedings, list of members (present, absent, and row-call), and record of bills.

 

Box 3: Woodmen of the World proceedings/ meetings minutes (1 flat box): 1905-1917.

Folder 1           Aztec Camp No. 30 proceedings, 1905 Feb. 18—1917 Aug. 31.  1 volume; 640 pages.

 

Box 4: Woodmen of the World proceedings/ meetings minutes (1 flat box): 1917-1941.

Folder 1           Aztec Camp No. 30 proceedings, 1917—1941.  1 volume; 640 pages; pages 435-640 are blank.  Some loose documents are interfiled in the volume and must be retained in their current location therein.

 

Box 5: Woodmen of the World Clerk’s combination registers and meeting minutes (1 flat box): 1890-1897.

Folder 1           Aztec Camp No. 30 Clerk’s membership accounts, ledger “of neighbors,” 1890 March 26—1896 Jan. 1.  1 volume; 54 pages.
Folder 2           Aztec Camp No. 30 local clerk's combination register.  Pages 1-68 are members’ financial accounts, 1890 March 26 ff. Pages 70-105 are meeting minutes, 1890 March 26—1891 Dec. 22.  (These are the first minutes of this chapter.)  1 volume; 105 pages.  Pages 34-41 are blank.
Folder 3           Aztec Camp No. 30 local clerk's combination register.  Pages 1-105 are the clerk’s membership accounts ledger, 1890 March 26—1897 Jan. 1.  Pages 118-177 are meeting minutes, 1892 Jan. 12—1895 Aug. 8.   1 volume; 177 pages; pages 23-33, 68-97, and 106-118 are blank.

 

Series 3: Woodmen of the World Aztec Camp No. 30 (Durango, Colo.) financial records, 1897-1934, in 7 oversize flat boxes and 3 document cases, arranged chronologically.  Primarily, cash books, which are the record of cash disbursements (mostly taxes and funds) and columns of benefits, per capita, general, and miscellaneous.  For economy of space, the first volume is included in the large box of the earliest minutes, in Box 2. 

Box 6:             Woodmen of the World financial records 1904-1907 (1 flat box)

Folder 1           Aztec Camp No. 30 accounts ledger, 1904 Jan. 1—1905 June 28.  1 volume; 136 pages.
Folder 2           Aztec Camp No. 30 cash book, 1905 July 1—1907 July 27.  1 volume; 300 pages.

 

Box 7:             Woodmen of the World financial records 1909-1913 (1 flat box):

Folder 1           Aztec Camp No. 30 cash book, 1909 Aug. 19—1911 Sept. 30.  1 volume; 300 pages.
Folder 2           Aztec Camp No. 30 cash book, 1911 Oct. 1—1913 Nov. 30.  1 volume; 300 pages.

 

Box 8:             Woodmen of the World financial records 1913-1918 (1 flat box)

Folder 1           Aztec Camp No. 30 cash book, 1913 Dec. 1—1915 Nov. 30.  1 volume; 300 pages.
Folder 2           Aztec Camp No. 30 cash book, 1915 Jan. 1—1918 Jan. 6  1 volume; 300 pages.
 

Box 9: Woodmen of the World financial records 1918-1922 (1 flat box):

Folder 1           Aztec Camp No. 30 cash book, 1918 Jan. 1—1920 Feb. 3.  1 volume; 300 pages.
Folder 2           Aztec Camp No. 30 cash book, 1920 Feb. 6—1922 Jan. 29.  1 volume; 300 pages.

 

Box 10: Woodmen of the World financial records (1 flat box):  

Folder 1            Aztec Camp No. 30 cash book, 1922 Jan. 30—1924 Jan. 4.  1 volume; 300 pages.
Folder 2            Aztec Camp No. 30 cash book, 1924 Jan. 4—1926 Jan. 22.  1 volume; 300 pages.

 

Box 11: Woodmen of the World financial records (1 flat box): 1926-1931(?)

Folder 1           Aztec Camp No. 30 cash book, 1926 Jan. 6—1927 March 5.  1 volume; 300 pages.
Folder 2           Aztec Camp No. 30 cash book, 1928 March 5—1931(?) Jan. 7.  1 volume; 300 pages.
 

Box 12: Woodmen of the World records (1 document case): circa 1912-1928

Folder 1           Aztec Camp No. 30 membership dues payment letterpress copybook, undated.  Pages 101-299 are blank.  Much of this writing is difficult to decipher.
Folder 2           Aztec Camp No. 30 head auditor’s detail record of collections, 1912-1915.  This and the following two ledgers include a list of members and their payments (benefit fund assessments and per capita tax)...
Folder 3           Aztec Camp No. 30 head auditor’s detail record of collections, 1917-1919.
Folder 4           Aztec Camp No. 30 head auditor’s detail record of collections, 1926-1928.
 

Box 13: Woodmen of the World registers and ledgers (1 document case): circa 1897-1926

Folder 1           Aztec Camp No. 30 clerk’s certificate register, circa 1892-1929, surnames A- to Me-.  1 volume; 49 double-pages.  Data in this and the following volume includes member's name, address, occupation, date of certificate, certificate number, amount of certificate, assessment rate, member's age, beneficiary, member's relationship to the beneficiary, etc.
Folder 2           Aztec Camp No. 30 clerk’s certificate register, circa 1892-1929, surnames N- to Z-.  1 volume; 49 double-pages.
Folder 3           Aztec Camp No. 30 ledger, 1897-1901.  Indexed at the front.  1 volume; 184 pages.  Marked J. A. Kroeger in fading ink on the canvas front cover.
Folder 4           Aztec Camp No. 30 ledger, 1901-1902.  Indexed at the front.  1 volume; 84 pages.  Marked Kroeger & Woolery in fading ink on the canvas front cover.
Folder 5           Aztec Camp No. 30 financial accounts register, 1906-1926.  Indexed at the front.  1 volume; 204+ pages.
Folder 6           Aztec Camp No. 30 manager's ledger, 1913.  Indexed at the front.  1 volume; 200 pages; pages 12-37, 69-99, 103-109, 113-119, 121-123, and 127-200 are blank.

 

Box 14: Woodmen of the World cash books and registers (1 document case):

Folder 1           Aztec Camp No. 30 cash book, 1901-1903.
Folder 2           Aztec Camp No. 30 cash book, 1904-1905.
Folder 3           Aztec Camp No. 30 check register book, 1919-1928.  Contains check stubs.
Folder 4           Aztec Camp No. 30 First National Bank check register book, 1928-1934.  Includes check stubs and blank checks.
Folder 5           Aztec Camp No. 30 remittance sheet book, 1925-1926.