Sierra Sun Times
The Clampers Assemble at Midpines, California
by Linda Gast
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As the sun broke over the Midpines Country Store the Clampers from
the Matuca Chapter 1849 E Clampus Vitus began to assemble. By nine o'clock the parking lot was filled with men in red
shirts and 'unique' hats. They had gathered to dedicate a monument to the Whitlock Mining District in Midpines, CA.
A group of new prospective members, with their heads bent looking down at the pavement, lined up against the wall of
the store. The ceremony led by Grand Humbug, Scott Nelson, took only a few minutes.
According to Clamper, Jack Webb, the group that covers three counties,
has about 1500 members and dedicates one monument each year in Calaveras, Mariposa and Tuolumne Counties.
Following such a dedication, or
Plaquing as it is called, there is a traditional party still called a doin’s. As one writer noted, these party
gatherings of red shirted pranksters wearing vests covered with pins, medals, ribbons and badges lead to the
organization’s reputation as either a "Historical Drinking Society" or a "Drinking Historical Society". While there is
no denial that distilled and fermented beverages freely flow, the group is officially and vehemently opposed to public
intoxication and require that those who partake have a "Brother of sobriety holding the reins".
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