CA State Grange

History of the California State Grange

The California State Grange was organized at Napa on July 15, 1873. The first Annual Convention of the California State Grange was held October 14, 1873 at San Jose, with 104 Granges represented. The State Convention held in Redding in 1929 made a declaration that startled California. It reaffirmed a position held on conservation in keeping with the Grange program adopted in 1873, 1874, and 1875, by urging the development of the water resources of the State by the construction of a dam at Kennet, now known as the Shasta Dam, with combined State and Federal funds, to conserve water for irrigation in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys. The delegates asked that electric power and power sites be developed with the project. In adopting this policy, the California State Grange became the first statewide organization to support the construction of the Shasta Dam. The Shasta Dam was built, and many other local projects have been achieved by individual Community Granges and by the collective effort of all of the Granges throughout the State of California. Membership has varied over the past 75 years and currently stands at approximately 12,000 in 200 local Community Granges.

1945 California State Grange Convention, Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium