By Francis P. Garland
Lode Bureau Chief
Published Saturday, July 10, 2004

 MURPHYS -- A mix of handsome stone and tile plaques, the wall stands proudly off Main Street, sharing space with the chic wine-tasting rooms and art boutiques that have transformed this old Gold Rush burg into a tony destination spot.

It's the "E.C.V. Wall of Comparative Ovations," a sort of Wall of Fame for E Clampus Vitus -- a fraternal brotherhood that some say is either an historical drinking society or a drinking historical society.

The wall boasts more than 70 plaques created by the late Bay Area artist William Gordon Huff, himself a member of the fun-filled fraternity known to many as simply Clampers.

The plaques pay homage to an eclectic band of men and women who've left their mark on California. Even the saber-tooth tiger is honored.

Plaque subjects range from the world-famous, such as noted author Mark Twain, to the obscure -- Irish-born dancer/actress Lola Montez, for example. And Norton I, Emperor of the U.S. and Protector of Mexico. And Julia C. Bulette, who entertained many a miner around Virginia City before being strangled in her bed in 1867.

At least, that's what her plaque says.

The plaques started making their way onto the outside wall of the Old Timers Museum around 1969 after the Clampers obtained permission from the museum owner, Richard Coke Wood, and his wife, Ethelynn Wood.

Colynn Wood Hard, the Woods' daughter, said a "gentlemen's agreement" that involved her father, Huff and the Clampers Grand Council made the Wall of Comparative Ovations a reality.

"They all believed that it would benefit not only the organization but the community itself," said Hard, whose father -- a noted author, teacher, historian and longtime California history chairman at University of the Pacific -- was a Clamper.

"And it just grew into what it is today."

Hard, who lives Benicia with her husband, John -- who also is a devoted Clamper -- said she believes the wall adds something special to the town.

"It's interesting -- and it attracts a great many tourists and people coming to Murphys," said Hard, who now owns the Old Timers Museum building.

"I think it represents a history of California, a history of the Mother Lode, a history of the Gold Rush.

"I think that's important, because we tend to lose track of that today. We forget about the history. We get caught up in things like winemaking and boutiquing. It's kind of nice to have a little history thrown in there."

Still, Hard admits that some of the history on the wall is "a little unusual. But the stories are interesting."

Take the plaque about Oliver Sandal, for example. It states that he arrived in Murphys from Albania during the Gold Rush, struck it rich and then lost it all in a craps game.

Later, he became a dirt farmer in the "wilds" near Milpitas and was cut off from contact with any Clampers. His branded animals became his fellow Clampers -- "he was happy no end and not the least bit lonely," the plaque says.

It's hard to tell whether some of the information is legitimate -- and that's precisely the pose the Clampers have tried to strike since the organization was revived in the early 1930s by a group of San Francisco residents.

According to various accounts, the organization's roots can be traced back to West Virginia, where a tavern, hotel and stable owner named Ephraim Bee founded the group to poke fun at a local resident who took himself a bit too seriously.

To give it a feel of authenticity, Bee branded the organization with the name E Clampus Vitus, or something close to that, said Tim Spencer, a teacher in the Lodi Unified School District and an avid Clamper.

Spencer, who has written a history of the group under the pen name Seth Slopes, said his research has shown that the original name Ecclampsus Vitus translated roughly to the "pregnant convulsions of St. Vitus."

"He made up a bogus Latin name," said Spencer, who added that Bee was trying to parody established groups such as the Masons and Oddfellows and secret societies in general.

A fellow named Joseph H. Zumwalt is credited with bringing the group west. After failing to establish a chapter in Hangtown -- now Placerville -- Zumwalt made his way to Mokelumne Hill and in the fall of 1851, his idea caught on among the miners there.

Soon, E Clampus Vitus chapters were popping up all over as the rough-and-tumble miners embraced the group's fun-loving tenets.

Clampers also did their share of good deeds; one account notes that members aided fellow miners in need and took care of widows and children -- particularly the widows.

The organization has had a language virtually all its own. The chief is known as the Noble Grand Humbug, get-togethers are referred to as "doin's" and members embrace the Latin phrase "Credo Quia Absurdum." (Translation: "I believe because it's absurd.")

The group ran out of steam in the late 1890s but was revived in the 1930s, when several San Franciscans created a chapter. Now, members say there are dozens of active chapters in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Washington.

New chapters are reportedly in the works in Oregon and elsewhere. There's no telling what they'll be named. One chapter in Colorado is named in honor of Al Packer, whom Spencer said was convicted of cannibalism. A chapter in Nevada, he said, was named in honor of Lucinda Jane Saunders -- "the first recorded nymphomaniac to come west on a wagon train."

Although members enjoy the humor and high jinx that comes with Clamper life, many say they are serious about the history. That's clear by the number of plaques and monuments that Clamper chapters have erected throughout the state over the years.

"Our main purpose is history and the preservation of history," John Hard explained. "Some people say we're going to sink the state of California with all the bronze plaques we've put up."

One plaque even rests at the bottom of a large Northern California lake, Lake Almanor, said Earl Schmidt, a part-time Murphys resident who, at 82, claims to be the second-oldest surviving "ex-Sublime Noble Grand Humbug." Schmidt said the Clampers also buried a bevy of historic artifacts in a vault under a bridge abutment near New Melones Reservoir.

Spencer said the general public might believe Clampers are "pretty wild and crazy, because we try to maintain that tongue-in-cheek attitude. But when they find out we're the largest plaqueing group in California, it's pretty impressive."

Although the Clampers continue to dedicate monuments and plaques elsewhere, the Wall of Comparative Ovations is pretty much maxed out. Rumor has it that only one more plaque will be added and that will be that.

John Hard would not comment on that notion. But as for the current configuration, he said, "people thoroughly enjoy it.

"It has meaning," he said. "There's a history there. It's sort of the Wailing Wall for Clampers."