Green Mound is a prairie cemetery a few miles east of Cheney. It was started by the Independent Order of the Odd Fellows in 1883. “Burying the dead was taken very seriously by early Odd Fellows, and most lodges purchased land and established cemeteries as one of their first activities in a new town or city,” the lodge order remarked. The order kept the cemetery for over 100 years, relinquishing ownership around 1990.

Nature took a strong hold over the cemetery, and prairie grass has grown over some of the graves. Some cemetery markers have gone missing. It is a quiet, peaceful spot.

An interesting feature of the small cemetery is John Wilker and his family. Wilker was born in 1840 in Germany. At some point, his family emigrated to Dubuque, Iowa, where he joined the volunteer 5th Iowa Cavalry as the Civil War began in 1861. The unit fought in numerous engagements including Fort Donelson and the Seige of Atlanta. He was discharged in Nashville, Tennessee 1964. His wife and children are buried beside him. Wilker is perhaps typical of the many Union veterans who settled in eastern Washington in the decades after the war.

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An organization that spread across America and the world like a wildfire, The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is a fraternal organization that was the first of its kind to include women. The Odd Fellows Hall in Gifford is one of the town’s oldest establishments.

Amicitia, amor et veritas. Friendship, love, and truth were the three founding principles of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF). After its founding in 1842 in Baltimore, Maryland, the fraternal order grew rapidly across the United States and around the world. In the Washington territory, the IOOF had a strong presence, with chapters from Tacoma to Spokane. Even the small town of Gifford, on the edge of the Columbia, boasted a local chapter.

The IOOF promoted “charity and ethical reciprocity” within their communities. In a small town like Gifford, these values promoted a good community standard and strong relationships. The Gifford family itself was active in the local IOOF, and the local chapter was a point of pride to the town’s co-founder James Gifford. When they added the Daughters of Rebekah organization in 1851, the IOOF became the first order of its kind to invite women. In a small town like Gifford, it was a welcome chance to get away from the farms and the ferries.

The men of the town, including James Gifford and his brother, built the IOOF hall just off the main road, near the mercantile shop that the Gifford family owned and operated. When construction on the Grand Coulee Dam began, Gifford sold the land for $15, and the town began work relocating IOOF Hall, the store, post office and service station to higher ground. The IOOF Hall was “consolidated with the Rebekah Lodge and the Rice Lodge after the move.” The IOOF Hall is still standing today, still near the Gifford store.

For more (including 4 images), view the original article.

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