At Vesper #84 Masonic Lodge in Red Bluff, Tehama County, we are dedicated to fostering a spirit of unity, growth, and community service. Our passions lie in nurturing the timeless values of Freemasonry—brotherhood, integrity, and charitable giving. We are committed to making a positive impact on our local community through meaningful outreach and active involvement.

Our goals are centered around creating a supportive environment for personal development and ethical living, while also contributing to the betterment of Red Bluff. By engaging in community service, and upholding the high standards of Freemasonry, we aim to enrich lives and build a stronger, more connected community. At Vesper #84, we believe that through shared purpose and dedication, we can make a lasting difference and uphold the true essence of Masonic values. If you wish to tour the lodge or join us for dinner and meet the brothers. 

Please contact us at 530-354-4754

About Us: One Hundred Fifty Plus Years of Masonry in Tehama County

Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and Jackson. What do these names have in common? Most people would recognize them as early Presidents. If you spent much time in the city of Red Bluff, you would recognize them as streets running parallel to Main Street, you might also recognize them as outstanding Masons in the early years of our country. Actually, all of the above are true. The five names above are the ones which appeared on the first official plat of Red Bluff. Before you begin debating whether or not Jefferson was a Mason, read the rest of the story.

Vesper Lodge No. 84 was chartered and met for the first time in Red Bluff in 1855, however, the Masonic Roots in Red Bluff go much deeper. Among the earliest Masons in the area were the Ide's, Peter Lassen, and General Fremont, all of whom interact in this story. In the process of instigating the Bear Flag Rebellion, Fremont passed through the upper Sacramento Valley and recruited the first and only president of Bear Flag Republic. In the same time period, Peter Lassen was establishing a colony on the Rancho Rosquijo, south of Red Bluff, in present day Tehama County. In 1848, Lassen was in his home state of Missouri, recruiting colonists and attaining a charter for the first Masonic Lodge in what was to later become the State of California. As it happened, Lassen could not be issued the charter because he had never been Master of a Lodge, however, among his new recruits was one Saschel Woods, a Presbyterian Minister and a Past Master. Hence Saschel was issued the Charter and was the first Master of Western Star Lodge, which initially met in present day Tehama County at Benton City, the site of Lassen's Colony. It was Saschel who presumably influenced Lassen to name his new city Benton after the distinguished US Senator from Missouri, Thomas Hart Benton. Coincidentally, Benton was the father-in-law of General Freemont mentioned earlier. Do you think Benton might have also been a Mason? When Lassen and Woods returned to California, they found the Gold Rush in full swing with most of the new colonists more interested in the gold fields than the cornfields. In May, 1851 Western Star Lodge petitioned the newly formed Grand Lodge of California to move its charter from Benton City to the Town of Shasta where it remains today. However, both Lassen and especially Woods continued to impart an influence on what was to become Red Bluff and Tehama County. In 1852, the records of Western Star Lodge listed J. Granville Doll as a member of the Lodge and as serving as its Senior Warden in 1853.

At some point in 1853-1854, Doll acquired "lands" in present day Red Bluff and other parts of Tehama County. Chain of title to these lands has been debated ever since, and has been a court issue from 1860 to recent times. It is my belief that Doll received his original title from Lassen and Woods. Regardless, in March of 1855, J.G. Doll was married by Justice of the Peace, Dr. John Veatch, to Harriet Johnson in the town of Red Bluffs, Shasta County California. Tehama County had not yet been formed, and Red Bluff had not been incorporated. In May of that same year, Vesper Lodge No. 84 held its first meeting in Red Bluff with Worshipful Brother Doll as the Master.

So what has all this to do with the Streets of Red Bluff? The oldest map of the town on record at the Tehama County recorders office, dated 1860, bears the statement that it conforms to a previous map and survey by "Gilette". Gilette's map of the "Town of Red Bluffs, Shasta County", 1853, show the Presidential names first mentioned. However, according the A.J. Osborn, a reversed local historian in his publication "J. Granville Doll and The Formative Years of Red Bluff" 1983, the city of Red Bluff was first named "Leodocia" and was "laid out" and the streets named by "Sachell Wood" first Master of the first Lodge in California, "and surveyed by A.H. Stout in May or June of 1850".

Now you know at least part of "The Rest of the Story".

A.L. Rieland, PM