Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo facts for kids
The International Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo is a special group for people who work with trees and wood. It's like a club that helps its members and the forest industry. You can find Hoo-Hoo members in many countries. These include the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, and South Africa.
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How Hoo-Hoo Started
The Hoo-Hoo organization began on January 21, 1892. Six men started it in a town called Gurdon, Arkansas. These men worked in different parts of the lumber business. Some were newspaper editors, others worked for railroads or lumber companies.
At first, they thought about calling themselves the "Independent Order of Camp Followers." But they chose "Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo" instead. The word "hoo-hoo" was a fun nickname for people who worked with lumber back then.
The very first official meeting, called a "Concatenation," happened on February 18, 1892. It was held in New Orleans, Louisiana. Thirty-five important lumbermen joined the group at this meeting.
Who Can Join Hoo-Hoo?
In the beginning, only white men over 21 could join Hoo-Hoo. They had to work in the lumber industry. This included people like lumbermen, newspaper writers, and railroad workers. There was one exception: a woman named Mrs. M. A. Smith joined before the rules changed. She remained the only female member for a long time.
The group also had a limit of 9,000 members. In the late 1890s, about 5,000 people were members. By the early 1920s, this number grew to around 7,000.
Today, the rules are different. Anyone 18 or older can join. They need to be good people and work in the forestry industry. Or, they can be genuinely interested in supporting the group's goals.
How Hoo-Hoo Is Organized
Hoo-Hoo was always a bit more relaxed than other clubs of its time. It didn't have strict meeting rules or special clubhouses. The main leaders of the group were called the Supreme Nine. This group included officers with unique names like the Snark and the Jabberwock.
There was also a special group called the House of the Ancients. This group included past leaders and helped with important decisions. Each state or country had its own leader, called a Viceregent Snark. Local groups were known as Concatenations.
In 1923, the main office for the Hoo-Hoo Order was in St. Louis. Even though they didn't offer health or death benefits, the group quietly helped members. They would assist them in finding jobs or offer support when needed.
Symbols and Fun Traditions
The people who started Hoo-Hoo wanted it to be fun and different. Their main goal was to help members be healthy, happy, and live long lives. Some of the officer names, like "Snark," came from a famous poem by Lewis Carroll. The poem is called The Hunting of the Snark.
The symbol of Hoo-Hoo is a black cat. Its tail is curled up in the shape of the number nine.
Atlanta's Hoo-Hoo Club
The Hoo-Hoo chapter in Atlanta, Georgia, worked closely with other forestry groups. There is a special monument in Piedmont Park in Atlanta. It remembers the trees planted by the Atlanta Hoo-Hoo Club in 1926.
Images for kids
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A monument in Piedmont Park, Atlanta, for a tree planting by the Hoo Hoo Club in 1926.
