History of the Honorable Order of the Blue Goose
The Honorable Order of the Blue Goose International was formed in June 1906, on the bank of Green Lake, Wisconsin, about ninety miles northwest of Milwaukee. During the annual meeting of the Wisconsin field insurance men at the Oakwood Resort, a State Agent advanced the idea that three young men, seeking membership in the Field Club, should be initiated to enliven the occasion. One idea after another was considered which, by evening when the ceremony was scheduled, found the organizers with a name for their new Order – The Ancient and Honorable Order of the Blue Goose, and also a Ritual with Obligation and Charge, and names for the various officers, almost the same as are used today.
The founders built better than they knew, for soon a petition for a charter came from the Minnesota field men, which was promptly granted, and the Minnesota Pond founded. At that time it was decided to name the Wisconsin State Organization the “Wisconsin Home Nest.”
The October 1906 meeting of the Fire Underwriters Association of the Northwest proved a splendid opportunity to exemplify the worth of the new group for field men, company officials and insurance editors. One hundred and forty-nine candidates, who had signed applications during the meeting of the Northwest Association, were made Ganders at a special Blue Goose initiation in the ballroom of the Auditorium Hotel. Elaborate plans had been made. The ceremony, conducted jointly by members of the Wisconsin Home Nest and Minnesota Pond, proved a great success, for immediately field men of many States applied for charters, all of which were promptly granted.
From such an unpretentious beginning, the Order has grown until there is at least one pond in every U.S. State and Canadian Province, and the Honorable Order of the Blue Goose International, as the Order is now known, enjoys a worldwide membership of over 10,000. This is unmistakable evidence of the fact that the “Blue Goose” occupies an important place in the insurance world, where its influence for fellowship and good has been felt for many years.