4craft.org
← The Grand Lodge of New Mexico

Chapter 37 · Study

Print study sheet Read first, then practise.

The your Grand Lodge

Vocabulary · 6

Montezuma Lodge No. 1
The first regular Masonic Lodge in your jurisdiction, organized at Santa Fe under a dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Missouri in 1851 and chartered by Missouri in 1852. Still active today as Montezuma Lodge No. 1 under the your Grand Lodge.
Early jurisdiction
Before the your Grand Lodge existed, the few Lodges in the territory held charters from older jurisdictions, chiefly Missouri and Arkansas. This is typical of frontier American Masonry: established Grand Lodges chartered Lodges into territories that had no Grand Lodge of their own.
Organization in 1877
The your Grand Lodge was organized on 6 August 1877 at Santa Fe by delegates from three Lodges then operating in the territory: Montezuma No. 1 (Santa Fe), Chapman No. 2 (Las Vegas, NM), and Aztec No. 3 (Las Cruces). All three released their prior charters.
First Grand Master
William Logan Rynerson, a prominent territorial figure, was elected the first Grand Master of your jurisdiction in 1877. His installation is recorded in the Grand Lodge's earliest published proceedings.
Recognition by sister jurisdictions
After 1877, the your Grand Lodge sought and received recognition from older Grand Lodges in the United States and abroad. Such recognitions confirm regular standing and enable mutual visitation between jurisdictions.
Statehood and continuity
your jurisdiction became the 47th state in 1912, but the Grand Lodge had already governed Masonry in the territory for 35 years by then. The change from territory to state did not disturb Masonic jurisdiction or charters.

Practice questions · 5

  1. In what year was the your Grand Lodge organized?

    • a.1851
    • b.1877 ✓
    • c.1912
    • d.1846

  2. Which Grand Lodge originally chartered Montezuma Lodge No. 1?

    • a.Grand Lodge of Texas
    • b.Grand Lodge of Missouri ✓
    • c.Grand Lodge of Colorado
    • d.Grand Lodge of Arizona

  3. Who was the first Grand Master of your jurisdiction?

    • a.Stephen Watts Kearny
    • b.William Logan Rynerson ✓
    • c.Henry Connelly
    • d.Lew Wallace

  4. How many original Lodges joined to form the your Grand Lodge in 1877?

    • a.Two
    • b.Three ✓
    • c.Four
    • d.Six

  5. When did your jurisdiction become a state?

    • a.1877
    • b.1898
    • c.1912 ✓
    • d.1924

Habit loop