Page 14 - August 2018

The Chee Kung Tong "Chinese Freemasons"
Helena, Montana
Reid Gardiner, RWPGS - Editor

Many years ago during the period of urban renewal in Chinatown. The fi rst mention found of the Chinese Masonic
Helena, Alice Ayers Schmidt Otten had the opportunity to Temple being located in the building is in the 1897 Helena
acquire artifacts that had been part of the fi xtures of the City Directory. The address is variously noted as being 308
Chinese Masonic Lodge. The Chinese Masonic Lodge had or 310 West Main.
been located on Main Street (aka Last Chance Gulch) in
downtown Helena. Alice passed away on Aug. 6, 2010, at
the age of 92. Her neighbor for 40 years was W. Brother
Frank Rice a member of Helena Lodge No. 3, and as a
result of their friendship in her Will, she directed that these
items should go to the Montana Masonic Foundation, Inc.,
Montana Masonic Museum. The artifacts are available for
viewing at the Montana Masonic Museum. The artifacts
shown include an altar cloth and candelabra (Page 19) from
the Chinese Masonic Lodge.

Back side of Altar Cloth.

The back of the cloth bears Chinese inscriptions reading
the "Chee Kung Tong" and "Helena" in Chinese and
"Masonic Lodge, 306 1/2 Main St, Helena, Montana,
U.S.A." in English. The front of the cloth shows a group
of lions in a couched gold thread on a red background.
Within the Chinese community, one of the essential
institutions which served the religious and social needs of
the community was the Masonic Lodge; there were Chinese
Masonic Lodges in Virginia City, Butte, and Helena. The
Chinese Masonic Lodge (Chee Kung Tong) in Helena was
located at 310 Main Street; artifacts also show the address
as 306 ½ Man (306 Main). Photographs show the building
in 1899 and also around 1937.
Photo courtesy of the Montana Masonic Foundation, Inc. 1
Chinese Masonic Lodge Helena Montana

Back side of Altar Cloth.
The altar cloth was probably used to cover the front of
an altar table. Similar cloths that served as banners for
processions are displayed in the Won Lim temple in
Weaverville, California, formerly also a Chee Kung Tong
institution. However, the Weaverville examples, although
they too have gold couching and an envelope-like upper
fl ap, are narrower than the Helena cloth and have silken
fringes. 2
The building at 306-1/2 West Main was constructed
before 1884 and was taken down before 1937. The
structure is noted in 1884, 1890, and 1892 Sanborn Fire Photo - Chinese Masonic Temple in 1899. 3
Insurance maps as being a laundry one of many in Helena's