The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) hosted an annual picnic for boys at Woodland Park in Seattle, and on July 27, 1923, they had a special guest. President Warren G. Harding was on a Western tour across the United States, in what he called his "Voyage of Understanding." He gave a speech at Woodland Park for 30,000 assembled Boy Scouts, Scout Masters, Elk Lodge members, and their families. The Boy Scouts National Jamboree was being held in the city, which accounts for the large number of Scouts in attendance that day. Less than a week later, on August 2, 1923, President Harding died in his San Francisco hotel room.
This photograph shows members of the Seattle Elks Band in uniform at Woodland Park, ready to perform at the 1923 Boys Picnic. The Seattle Elks No. 92 had a Temple at 1001 Fourth Avenue, Seattle, opened on May 21, 1914. The Temple building included members’ living quarters, a Turkish bath, a pipe organ, bowling alleys, and a big swimming pool. The lodge sold its Fourth Avenue quarters in 1958.
Handwritten on image: Frank H. Nowell Photo, 213. Elks - Band - B.P.O.E. No. 92 - At Annual Boys Picnic, Woodland Park July 27th 1923. Photograher's number: 213
Caption information source: "Seattle Elks #92: A Brief History" by Leslie G. Timmons, Seattle Elks homepage, https://www.seattleelks.com/our-history. Caption information source: "Harding Memorial in Seattle's Woodland Park is dedicated on March 29, 1925," HistoryLink.org Essay 20684.
Physical Description: 1 photographic print : b&w ; 27 x 7 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Credit: MOHAI, 1998.44.1, photo by Frank H. Nowell
