In honor of the first Free Masons in the County and the founding father of the city of South Bend, Alexis Coquillard.

 

Imagine if you will, a land before 1675, when the only inhabitants were Native Americans. These ancient tribes had inhabited and traveled through this area for thousands of years and knew how to cross the country for vast distances by foot and canoe. A great east- west foot trail, located just north of where we are now, the Old Sauk Trail, ran from Detroit to Chicago along what is now US 12. Parts of it still exist today as 2 lane gravel roads just north of here. Another route, a water-way bore the Native American from the East Coast and Southern Canada, across the Great Lakes to the Southern shores of Lake Michigame. There, a mighty river flowed into the Lake at a place that is known today as St. Joseph Michigan. This river was unique as far as rivers of this world are concerned as it begins northeast of here, near Colon Michigan, flows south, then in Northern Indiana, turns back to the north to flow into the Great Lakes. The place where it turns north is located just a few miles from where we are now. The Indians would paddle up the river to a place near what is today the Riverview Cemetery. There they would pull their canoes from the river and carry or Portage them to a series of small ponds and streams located near the old Bendix Factory site, which further carried them to the source of the Kankakee River. They would then paddle to the Illinois River at what is today Peoria Illinois and then on to the Mississippi and to the Gulf of Mexico. This route was the original “Dixie Highway”.

 

One of the first Europeans, Father James Marquette in 1675 passed this way aided by Indian Guides, landing at the portage site at the south bend of the St. Joseph river.

 

LaSalle

One of the First Explorers in the area, Robert Cavalier de LaSalle in 1679 paddled up the St Joseph River from Lake Michigan with 30 men and 8 canoes and crossed over the St. Joseph-Kankakee Portage and continued to Peoria Illinois. The place where he landed at South Bend was later called LaSalle’s Landing and was located near the site of the present Riverview Cemetery. 2 years later he met and signed a peace treaty with Natives under a tree in the heart of the Miami Indian Nation. The Indians called this tree “Council Oak”.

 

 

 150 yeas later, in 1820, Pierre Navarre, an agent for the American Fur Company, Settled in the area and married a Potawatomie woman and established his trading post.  This being the ideal location, a great crossroads for the Natives he would trade with.

 

 

 

 

Alexis Coquillard Founding Father of the City and one of the first Masons

 

This takes us to 1823 and what was then called Big ST. Joseph’s Station and Mr. Alexis Coquillard.

 

Born in Detroit  in1785.

 

Mr. Coquillard served with the American forces under William Henry Harrison during the war of 1812.

 

At 25, he headed west to Fort Wayne, then further to a place known as LaSalle’s landing. Alexis bought out Navarre’s Trading Post business in 1824.

 

The town was later named South Hold by the Post Master Generals Office around 1829. The name was changed to South Bend around 1830. Alexis, with a partner, Lathrop Taylor platted and formed the Town in 1831. The population of the village was then around 128 men, women and children.

 

In 1842, the Coquillards were visited by a passing traveler, a Priest who was to travel to California to establish a University there. The priest, Father Sorin, stayed with the Coquillard’s for some length of time. When the winter came and the Father was overcome by sickness, he made the decision to stay in the area and build his University near South Bend. Had fate took another turn, he may have completed his trip to the west coast and established what may have been called UNDSC (University of Notre Dame Southern Cal) But that was not to be and we now have what is called the University of Notre Dame located to our south.

 

In a town which had now grown to around 500 individuals, The Masonic Craft was first established in South Bend on May 24th  1842.

 

Shortly thereafter, Alexis Coquillard hosted a gathering of 13 men at his home. Plans were laid and they celebrated the formation of the first Masonic Lodge. The first South Bend Lodge was Chartered On June 7th 1842,

 

  Saint Joseph’s Lodge #45 with John Sample as Worshipful Master, appointed by the Grand Lodge.  The first executive officers were: Worshipful Master, John Rush, Senior Warden, Hugh C. Flannigan, Junior Warden A.C. Penwell, Treasurer Henry Miller, Secretary A.B. Ellsworth, Tyler, Joseph Knapp.  Those in attendance were Joseph Newton, Alexis Coquillard, William L. Barrett, I. W. Hopkins and Joseph Jones.  Dues were fixed at twelve and one-half cents per month.  Andrew Massey was the first candidate to receive the Degrees.    

 

 

 

The first Masonic Lodge room was on the second floor of a wooden structure located on the present site of the JMS building. After several years the quarters were moved to the third floor of the Burroughs Building located on the northeast corner of Michigan St. and Washington Ave.  These quarters served Masonry in South Bend until the erection of the Lincoln Block at 118-120 South Michigan St., when on June 24th 1875, the entire third floor of this building was dedicated as the Masonic Hall.  Realizing that larger quarters were necessary and that the Fraternity should have a home of its own, steps were taken in 1898 to secure a site for a Masonic Temple.  The South Bend Masonic Association was formed and after some time the Boldgett property, on South Main St, opposite the Boy’s Building of the Y.M.C.A. was purchased for $10,000. This site, however, did not seem to suit a great many of the members, and in 1904 it was sold and  a lot 66x165, located on the northwest corner of Michigan St. and LaSalle Ave. was purchased, and a Temple was erected there which was calculated to meet the requirements of the Fraternity for many years to come. (The old South Shore station,)  This building was formerly dedicated to Masonry June 23, 1906. It was not long, however, until it was found that these quarters were too small to meet the requirements of increasing activities of the various bodies. Therefore, in 1920 steps were taken to provide larger facilities which are evidenced by the present Temple, the cornerstone if which was laid on May 22nd, 1924 by Dr. Charles D. Lippincott of South Bend, who was then Grand Master.

 

 

History of Council Oak Lodge #745:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

South Bend

 The Population of South Bend is now 107,000 and 300,000 if you include the metro areas. The Masonic Craft has grown accordingly and the following 26 Bodies currently work here:

 

Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Bodies

South Bend Lodge of Perfection.       14 degree

Zerubbabel Council, Princes of Jerusalam.       16 degree

John Hazen White Chapter of Rose Croix,       1 degree

South Bend Consistory        32 degree

 

Free and Accepted Masons  Blue lodges

St Joseph Lodge No. 45        F. & A.M.

South Bend Lodge No. 294 F. & A.M

Portage Lodge No. 675          F. & A.M.

Valley Lodge  No 738           F. & A.M.

                                       Council Oak Lodge 745         F.& A.M.

 

South Bend Chapter No. 29                  Royal Arch Masons

South Bend Council No. 82                          Royal and Select Masters

South Bend Commandry  No. 13    Knights templar

South Bend Chapter No. 2                       Order  of Eastern Star

South Bend Chapter No. 569                        Order of the Eastern Star

Rose Croix Chapter No.575                   Order of Eastern Star

Messiah Shrine No.10.                                    White Shrine of Jerusalem

Order of Beauceant.                                                South Bend Assembly No.100

Ladies Auxiliary.                                      Order of Eastern Star

Order of Amaranth.                                      South Bend Court No.2

DeMolay Chapter                             Order for Boys.

Rainbow Girls. Order for Girls.                          South Bend Assembly No.2

Rainbow Girls Order for Girls                               South Bend Assembly No. 83

St Joseph Valley Low Twelve Club

South Bend Chapter No.127.                   National Sojourners

Actual Past Masters Association of St. Joseph County

St Joseph Valley Temple Association

Grand Lodge F. & A.M of Indiana

 

 

Grand Lodge F. & A.M. of Indiana

 

Among the Grand Masters there were as follows;

 

Two         United States Senators

Five         Congressman

Two         President’s Cabinet Officers.

Two         Federal Judges

Two         Supreme Court Judges

One        Governor

One        Lieutenant Governor

Twenty  General Assembly Members

Three     Speakers of the House of Representatives

Three     Prosecuting Attorneys

One       Secretary of State of Indiana

One       Auditor of the State of Indiana

Eight     Circuit Court Judges

 

I am sure Alexis Coquillard would be proud of the city he had established and even more, the extent that Free Masonry has grown and flourished here as well as throughout the state.

 

 Presented March 3rd, 2008 at Table Lodge, Council Oak Lodge 745

 By Stephen E. Traphagan