On Saturday, April 5, local and area masons celebrated the centennial of Eheyeh Chapter Royal Arch Masons.
The celebrations took place at the Badland Community Facility and saw more than 60 come out for the afternoon. They reconsecrated the chapter at the lodge and then followed it with a banquet.
While the Eheyeh Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons was celebrating 100 years, the roots of masonry in the valley go back further. Symbol Lodge 93 was formed in 1914. In 1924, the membership of that lodge had grown to 221. According to the Hills of Home, proceedings began for the formation of a second lodge that would practice the Canadian Rite.
According to the history provided, the first minute book recorded there were 90 companions present for the first meeting of the Chapter in January 1924. The Grand First Principal, Most Excellent Companion, John Edgar Johnson, was in attendance.
There were 25 meetings while under dispensation until April 3, 2025, when the Eheyeh Chapter was constituted.
Today, the craft lodge is still going strong, with about 30 members and a solid organization behind it. The Royal Arch Masons are a strong supporter of education in the province and has its own youth endowment fund, which, since 2014, has awarded $53,000, averages 3-5 projects a year.
The Eheyeh Chapter Royal Arch Masons is a member of the Keystone Society of Drumheller. It was established in 1994 to formalize the combined efforts of Masons in the valley.