A resurgence of Ku Klux Klan (KKK) movement between 1915 and the mid-1920s, in what historians call the "Second Klan," reached all 48 states, with membership over four million in the mid-1920s. Although the Klan's core belief in white supremacy, at least with regard to African Americans, had less resonance in Washington State, by 1921 there was a ready audience for much of its agenda -- dislike of unions, leftists, and the unemployed; anti-immigrant sentiment; hostility to perceived elites; dedication to conservative family values; and the embrace of a fundamentalist strain of Protestant Christianity.

By the end of 1922, there were 2,000 Klan members in Seattle and smaller groups in Walla Walla, Tacoma, and Spokane. The Klan frequently utilized public events with elaborate patriotic entertainment to attract and indoctrinate massive crowds. While dozens of Klan chapters were organized in Washington State throughout 1923, in 1924 membership declined sharply in the wake of power struggles between Klan leaders, Klan leaders' embezzlement of organization funds, and a general settling of the uncertain national political and economic conditions.

The image here shows Klan members, in robes but with faces uncovered, at a public event held at Wilson Station near Renton Junction south of Seattle. The Klan claimed 50,000 attended the rally; The Kent Advertiser-Journal described “a monster crowd of thousands of people who came in between 2500 and 3000 automobiles to participate and witness the ceremony.” The Washington Co-Operator estimated that between 10,000 and 20,000 attended. The Globe-Republican, however, indicated that attendees were “attracted chiefly by curiosity and by the lingering suspicion that an exciting clash might occur between Klansmen and representatives of the Sheriff's office.” The only mention of the event in the Seattle Times is a note that Klan "Emperor" William Joseph Simmons had been invited to attend the members-only "Konvention," held prior to the public rally at People's Park in Renton.

Caption information source: "The Ku Klux Klan in Washington, 1921-1925," by John Caldbick, HistoryLink.org Essay 20718.
Caption information source: "KKK Super Rallies in Washington State, 1923-24," by Trevor Griffey, retrieved from https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/kkk_rallies.htm
Caption information source: "The Great Ku Klux Klan Rally in Issaquah, Washington," by Joe Peterson, retrieved from http://www.narhist.ewu.edu/pnf/articles/s1/ii-4/great_rally/great_rally.html
Caption information source: https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2019/02/15/hometown-klan
Caption information source: "Klan Plans Meetings: "Emperor" May Attend," The Seattle Times, July 11, 1923, p. 7.
Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.