Sept. 1st, made hay & picked up a load of corn. Jno, Frank, Geo., & I went to Chillicothe to the M.W.A. log rolling.
On September 14, 1900, the Chariton Courier from the neighboring county wrote of the MWA event in Chillicothe: Modern Woodmen day at Chillicothe, September 1, was attended by about 6,000 visiting brethren and several thousand citizens.
Modern Woodmen of America is the largest fraternal benefit society in the United States. Joseph Cullen Root founded the organization in 1883. It sells life insurance and other conservative investments to its members. Root initially made it available to young, healthy men in the rural Mid-West, and people living in cities or having jobs deemed dangerous, such as railroad jobs, were ineligible. It had a companion sorority called the Royal Neighbors of America. These two groups had chapters all over the Mid-West, complete with uniforms and “rainbow parades.” Their log rolling events didn’t have real log rolling, but were annual picnics with the rainbow parade. An internet search turned up an article and photographs of an M.W.A. log rolling in Alma, Kansas, on August 30, 1900. Perhaps the one in Chillicothe was something similar. Thanks to Wabaunsee County Historical Society and Museum blog for the excellent information!
