This building is the location of the former Wigwam (lodge) of the local Improved Order of the Red Men Tribe (Willamette Tribe No 6), which was incorporated in Oregon on March 23, 1876. Members paid dues which were collected for the purpose of providing assistance to the needy, due to sickness, to cover funeral costs, aid for widows. The organization fell upon hard times during the Great Depression, and were unable to make scheduled payments on the building, and the Tribe was officially dissolved in 1941.
The building site was donated by J.V. Lankin (a past high member of the tribe) with the provision that a home (lodge) be erected here within two years from the date of donation, which was May 1, 1919.
A brochure from the Willamette Tribe No 6 (which has a web presence accessed via this link: (
visit link) ) shows the plans for the Red Men Hall, which was to include 2 full living apartments (5 rooms each), one on each of the two stories of the building. These apartments were to have separate entrances, basements, furnaces, and be rented out, with proceeds going to J.V. Lankin throughout his lifetime. The plan included 5 separate spaces for commercial shops, each with a basement, also to be rented out. Additional rental offices were planned for the second floor. Space for the Red Men activities would be 2 rooms, arranged so they could be rented for social functions, a larger one of 40x60 feet with 18 foot ceiling, with a stage and lockers, and a maple floor for dancing and 2 exits. A smaller room of 25x32 feet would include an ante room and coat room. A 47x40.5 foot club and billiard room was placed at the rear of the building on the first floor. A banquet hall was located in the basement, measuring 33x40 feet and included a kitchen.
The building was not actually built within the two years that were originally directed, as securing the funds for the project took longer than anticipated, and the building was not finished until 1922. It is in the California Mission style (popular in Portland in the late 1910s-early 1920s), and was designed by the architectural firm Clausen & Clausen.
The Willamette Tribe No 6 fell upon hard times during the Great Depression, and were unable to make scheduled payments on the building. The Tribe was officially dissolved in 1941.
In the book "Official History of the Improved Order of Red Men" by George W Lindsay, Charles C. Conley and Charles H. Litchman, these were the Tribes that were formed in Oregon:
Oregonian-Pocahontas Tribe No. 1, Jacksonville,
La Lake Tribe No 2, Ashland,
Minnehaha Tribe No 2, Portland,
Multnomah Tribe No 3, Portland,
Himaly Tribe No 3, Albina,
Oneonta Tribe No 4, Portland,
Winona Tribe No 4, Portland,
Chinook Tribe No 5, Portland,
Willamette Tribe No 6, Portland,
Concomley Tribe No 7, Astoria,
Kamiakin Tribe No 8, Salem,
Modoc Tribe No 9, Portland,
Mohawk Tribe No 11, Albany,
Kasseah Tribe No 30, Lake Oswego
www.ohs.org/the-oregon-history-project/historical-records/floor-plan-of-red-men-hall-portland.cfm