Most Worshipful Grand Master, Past Grand Masters, Brethren, Ladies and Friends, the title of tonight’s oration is “Our History – A Window to our Future”.

Within 20 minutes of my appointment as Grand Orator, RWB Loyd Davis approached me and asked that my oration include the History of Bonneville Lodge No. 31, as the Lodge is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary.

In reviewing the History of the Lodge, I found that it was more than just a list of Names and Dates, though they are important. But it was also a great illustration of how we as Masons work together and move forward, while always ensuring we hold onto the values of the past.

Establishing Freemasonry in Bountiful was first discussed by a small number of Masons in January of 1956. Just one month later, the first meeting of the Bountiful Masonic Club took place. At the meeting on August 1st, 1956 the club discussed the formation of a Masonic Lodge in Bountiful. The name Bonneville was agreed upon in February 1957, and on May 22, 1957 Bonneville Lodge U.D. was instituted. The Lodge was Chartered & Officers installed on February 12, 1958 in Salt Lake City.

Bonneville Lodge wasted no time getting started. At their first meeting, held in March of 1958, they discussed and formed a committee to acquire land and to build a Masonic Temple. That land was purchased in 1963 and the Bountiful Masonic Temple was completed in 1972. During the construction, furniture from Damascus Lodge No. 10 in Mt. Pleasant was offered and put to use.

In January of 1983, discussions were held to consider selling a 50% interest in the building to Uintah Lodge No. 7 and in September of that year, the sale was completed, making this building the permanent home of both Lodges.

Let’s not forget the important history of Uintah Lodge, whose original home was in Park City. The members of Uintah Lodge are obviously proud of their history, and to this day, hold picnics & Lodge meetings in Park City to honor the memory of where they began. It is this history that must be kept alive.

From our History, we now move to our Future. Today, our Fraternity is receiving more attention and interest than ever before. More and more within our Lodges, we are bringing in new, younger members that are full of energy and ideas. The result is that we are seeing the average age of membership drop exponentially.

There are many reasons why these young men are joining our Fraternity, but make no mistake that our History, real or imagined, is a large part of what brings them to our doors. It is our history that plants the seed of interest, it is our history that feeds the desire to move forward, and it is our history that shows us the path to walk. Our history can show us, like looking into a crystal ball, what will happen next.

It is important that we don’t let our history perish. If we shut the window to the view of the path not yet taken, much will be lost. We should talk about our history whenever we get the opportunity. We should share our old stories with our new members, and by doing so, our history will not only be passed along and preserved, but the lessons of our past will help the leaders of our great Fraternity make better and informed decisions for our future.

With so many new members joining, there is naturally a concern that change may be on the horizon. Change may indeed be on the horizon; however, if we share openly the history of our Lodges, Grand Lodges, and Ancient Landmarks, then change for the sake of change will not occur. Rather, our future leaders will be more inclined to preserve our ancient landmarks, our history, and our traditions… Remembering these are the very things that peaked the interest of so many Brethren, and caused them to knock on our doors in the first place.

We’ve all heard the old adage that history repeats itself. This is usually brought up when discussing things that have gone wrong; however, this is also true when things go right. When we learn from the lessons of the past, a “positive history” can and will repeat it-self. Our history, our Fraternity, our Lodges, are fresh and exciting to our new members. We the current membership can be proud of this history that is the inspiration to us all. And most importantly, by learning the path our predecessors took, their past can give us a glimpse of what is around the corner.

What the history of these Lodges shows us, is how important it is for “us” to work together with “our” eye on the future. It cements in “us” the very reasons “we” all became Freemasons. These Lodges set the course for Freemasonry in Bountiful, from the formation of the Bountiful Masonic Club that met at “Phillips Hall”, to the relocation of a Lodge from Park City, to the joint ownership of this building. These decisions were made with the future in mind. These decisions were not made lightly, but were made based upon the desire to see “Freemasonry” in ”Bountiful” and in “Utah in general” succeed and be a valuable part of the community for many years into the future.

Congratulations to the Members of Bonneville Lodge No. 31 on their 50th Anniversary, and “we” look forward to 50 more years with the combined effort and joint dedication of their Brethren of Uintah Lodge No.7.

Thank you for listening, please enjoy the rest of your evening.