RANGELY, COLORADO
The early organizational meetings in Rangely, aimed at forming a Masonic lodge, resulted in the assembling Masons into a High 12 Club. This club actually came into existence with its charter on April 26, 1947 and its members renewed their efforts to form a lodge. At that time Rangely was the only town in the state to have a High 12 Club but not a Masonic lodge.
In December, 1948 the club acquired the use of the second floor of what was known as the DeQuasie Building. The members started fixing up that floor for a lodge room and everything was progressing nicely until the morning of February 10, 1949 when the building burned to the ground.
On July 3, 1951, M.W. Bro. C. Wheeler Barnes presented the lodge with a dispensation, consummating five years of work on the part of many of the members. On January 23, 1952 a charter was granted to Rangely Lodge No. 175, at which time there were 42 members. The lodge was constituted on March 29, 1952 by M.W. Bro. Olin P. Lee.
A. J. “Jack” Bloomfield, District Lecturer, made over 100 trips from his home in Meeker to Rangely to help this lodge get started. Though handicapped by the loss of a leg so he needed other brethren to drive for him, he traveled over 12,000 miles to aid and assist the Rangely brethren.
The Rangely Temple Association was formed in 1949 and in the fall of 1952 the foundation for the temple was poured. Finally, on June 11, 1956 the first meeting of the lodge was held in the new temple.
The membership roll showed 78 members on November 30, 1960.
