Welcome to the online home of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of California’s only official degree lodge, Richard Brouse #190.
Sometimes called “the cave degree” the site known as the Pythian cave sits about 12 miles southeast of the town of Yreka, with a view onto Mount Shasta. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows have been performing live degrees at this location since 1940, with only a few short interruptions.
Named for Richard “Dick” Brouse, our lodge honors a former Department Commander of California for the Patriarchs Militant (an IOOF side order), and long-time champion of live degrees at the cave. Since his retirement, the cave was passed from Yreka #19 to the Grand Lodge of California, which, together with the generous donations of many Odd Fellows throughout the state, has restored the cave and prepared it to hold degree work once again. We believe that it’s exactly what Dick Brouse would have wanted.
Degree work began at the cave in 1925 under the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal order that originally used the cave as their meeting hall before they set up a building in Yreka proper. The KoP eventually permitted the Odd Fellows to use the cave for their own degree work, and in 1962 sold it and the surrounding acres of land to the Odd Fellows for a sum of $10, with the arrangement that the Knights could continue using it each year for their own degree work. The site gained further fraternal activity when the Masons were permitted to use it for their own degree work as well.
2024 Degrees Conferred August 17-18, and September 14-15
Each year in the summer, the Odd Fellows arrange a degree weekend here near the California-Oregon border. The Initiatory and first degrees take place indoors at the Yreka #19 lodge building, and then the second degree is conferred from the cave itself. This ceremony happens at a different date each year, timed to coincide with the moon’s rise over Mount Shasta, bathing the degree candidates in moonlight as they learn the sacred teachings of the second degree, also called the degree of brotherly love. The following morning, the third degree is conferred on qualified candidates, and then everyone heads home, newly taught in the principles of our Order.
In 2024, our new degree lodge was formally chartered, and the cave’s reconstruction celebrated, in a special ceremony on Friday August 16th.
The first degrees for Richard Brouse #190 were conferred on the weekend of August 17-18. Moonrise was Saturday August 17th at 7:15PM. The air was recently cleared of smoke, thanks to an unexpected shower a few hours earlier. Roughly an hour later, with the moon almost directly above Mount Shasta (though hidden by lingering rain clouds), Odd Fellows from California and Oregon began filling the cave. With total darkness held at bay by our electric candles and artificial stage lights, we performed the second degree much like the Odd Fellows have been doing since 1940. 22 Candidates received their second degree that night.
In September of that same year, we did something we’d never tried before, and held a second degree weekend on September 14-15. This time, Shasta was easily visible as the Odd Fellows arrived at the cave, glowing a beautiful pink hue as the fading sunlight lingered a few minutes after the rest of the land had been covered in shadow.
By holding that second degree weekend, we provided an opportunity for another 11 candidates to receive degrees, and were able to welcome members of the Order who had been occupied with Sovereign Grand Lodge during the August weekend.
Additionally, we partnered with Barnes Encampment #77 in order to be able to provide the Patriarchal degree on Sunday September 15th. The degree was conferred at the cave again, on what turned out to be a remarkably cool and pleasant day, considering it was still technically summer. With highs barely reaching the mid-60’s in the cave, even the heavy robes worn by the degree team were comfortable. Six candidates became new members of Patriarchal Odd Fellowship, including 3 members of the degree team from the night before.
All in all, it was exciting to bring the cave back into use for the purposes of Odd Fellowship.