PM Park, Clear Lake, Iowa

Last updated April 30, 2019

Coordinates: 43°06′58″N93°25′12″W / 43.116°N 93.420°W / 43.116; -93.420 PM Park is a restaurant and lodging establishment in Clear Lake, Iowa. It was previously run by the Patriarchs Militant as a children’s summer camp for the less fortunate.

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.

Clear Lake is a city in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,777 at the 2010 census. The city is named for the large lake on which it is located. It is the home of a number of marinas, state parks and tourism-related businesses. Clear Lake is also a major stop on Interstate 35 with many restaurants, hotels and truck stops.

History

What is now PM park has its roots in the Oddfellows, which was founded in the United Kingdom in the 18th century. Eventually, the Odd Fellows found their way to the United States, where they founded an independent chapter in Baltimore, Maryland in 1819.

The United Kingdom (UK), officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and sometimes referred to as Britain, is a sovereign country located off the north-western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state, the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi), the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world. It is also the 22nd-most populous country, with an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017.

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

According to Patriarchs Militant literature, occasionally a war would erupt and the men would be summoned to fight, but someone would have to stay behind to take care of the children, the orphans, women who were left alone, and the elderly who still needed care. These people were called the Patriarchs Militant.^[1]

The Patriarchs Militant are the uniformed branch of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.), established in 1886 by the Sovereign Grand Lodge, the international governing body of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.^[2] The Patriarchs Militant were known as protectors; the motto the Patriarchs lived by was “Justitia Universalis, Pax aut Bellum”, (Universal Justice, Peace or War).^[3]

Independent Order of Odd Fellows an American branch of Odd Fellows fraternity

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political and non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Order of Odd Fellows founded in England during the 1700s, the IOOF was originally chartered by the Independent Order of Oddfellows Manchester Unity in England but has operated as an independent organization since 1842, although it maintains an inter-fraternal relationship with the English Order. The order is also known as the Triple Link Fraternity, referring to the order's "Triple Links" symbol, alluding to its motto "Friendship, Love and Truth".

In 19th century America (and Britain and Australia), orphanages were common. As part of their role to care for the widows and orphans, the Patriarchs Militant set up "PM Parks". At one point in time, every state in America had one or more PM Parks.^{[ citation needed ]} The Clear Lake PM Park is one of the few PM Parks left.

There were two purposes of PM Park. The first was to provide a gathering of places for meetings and training sessions of the Patriarchs. The second was to provide a summer camp for children who were less fortunate. PM Parks gave children a summer vacation in a life that didn’t offer much luck.^{[ citation needed ]}

The PM Park in Clear Lake, Iowa was established in 1914. When it was first built, it included two buildings. One of the buildings was used for a gathering place for eating and entertainment. The other building, that sits right next to the first, was a dormitory for the children to stay in. They are located on the south side of the lake.

Still to this day the PM Park in Clear Lake, Iowa is owned by the Patriarchs Militant. The Patriarchs lease out the facilities to Cristine and Rahn Bragger to run restaurant and lodging facilities.

At least once a year, the Patriarchs Militant make their way to the park for a week at a time holding meetings, ceremonies, and various other events. This point of time is called PM Week.

Present Situation

Currently the PM Park establishment is a small summer retreat that offers a variety of options.

The main building that was once used for a gathering place for eating and entertainment for the children’s camp is being used as a restaurant. The main floor holds the kitchen and two dining rooms. One dining room overlooks the lake, and the other overlooks a large lawn, with some view of the lake and landscaping. The restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. On the second floor of the building there is a party room to hold events anywhere from a wedding to a class reunion.

The second building original to the park that was once the dormitory is still being used for lodging. The rooms have been modified to accommodate individuals and not just a group of children.

PM Park also offers short term apartments that are available just up the road from the restaurant, as well as a cottage for summer rental. This expansion has allowed more space for families to come and relax as well as offer a more long term experience.

The newest addition to PM Park is a lake side Tiki Bar. The bar was built and opened in the summer of 2007. The bar only offers beverages and closes at midnight to respect the neighbors around PM Park. PM Park also offers lake access with a dock to anyone who cares to come by way of boat.

PM Park is open from mid May to mid September, seven days a week.^[4]

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References

↑ Bragger, Cristine. Personal interview. 10 Feb. 2008
↑ Patriarchs Militant - IOOF Grand Lodge of Michigan Archived 2008-07-05 at the Wayback Machine .
↑ The Odd Fellows A summary of the history of the Odd Fellows, primarily the American IOOF, written by an American Freemason, and appearing on an American Freemasonry website.
↑ PM Park's web site

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[1] Bragger, Cristine. Personal interview. 10 Feb. 2008

[2] Patriarchs Militant - IOOF Grand Lodge of Michigan Archived 2008-07-05 at the Wayback Machine .

[3] The Odd Fellows A summary of the history of the Odd Fellows, primarily the American IOOF, written by an American Freemason, and appearing on an American Freemasonry website.

[4] PM Park's web site

PM Park, Clear Lake, Iowa

Contents

History

Present Situation

See also

Related Research Articles

References