For farmers, founded in 1867 in USA in support of a number of farming issues. From its beginning men and women were admitted. It became very popular, with over 13 000 Granges by 1873. Its membership in 1896 was 162 000. It still exists in the USA3 with a 2005 membership of 160 000.
There was an attempt in 1872 to bring the movement to Quebec but it was not successful. As part of that effort, a Grange was formed in L’Original, Ontario, and another in Cass Bridge, Ontario. By 1874, fifteen Granges existed in Canada and they petitioned to form a Canadian National Grange. They were ignored by the American National Grange so, on 1874 Jun 2, they formed the Dominion Grange of Canada. There was argument with the American organization but by the time of the first meeting of the Canadian National Grange on 1874 Sep 22, there were 44 Granges affiliated with it. By the 1875 meeting there were 246 Granges. Finally in 1875 the American National Grange recognized the Dominion Grange of Canada as a separate but fraternal organization. There was an attempt to set up an Ontario Provincial Grange in 1882 but it failed in 1887, mainly because of the large number of Ontario Granges made the Dominion Grange essentially an Ontario one – about 85% of the Canadian Granges were in Ontario. In 1883 there were 30 000 members in Canada.
An 1876 history of the Grange in Canada is online4. This document lists 29 Divisions and 500 Granges but does not indicate where they are.
The Dominion Grange organized four companies: the Dominion Grange Mutual Fire Insurance Co (formed 1876, collapsed 1894), the Grange Trust (formed 1878, collapsed 1887), the Grange Wholesale Supply Co (started 1875, closed 1894), and the Ontario People’s Salt and Soda Co (formed 1882)
The Grange in Canada folded into the Farmers’ Association in 1907. A 1914 history is online5.
The local unit is called a Grange. There was a National Grange in the USA and State Granges.
Four degrees are given in the local Grange, with a fifth given at a County or Division Grange and a
sixth degree given at State Granges. A seventh degree is given by the National Grange. The
initiation ritual is online6.
Click for a list of Granges in Ontario
Click for a list of Divisions in Ontario
References:
(1) Stevens p395
(2) Axelrod p108
(3) http://www.nationalgrange.org/
(4) https://ia600208.us.archive.org/11/items/cihm_27791/cihm_27791.pdf
(5) http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924055006658/cu31924055006658_djvu.txt
(6) http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/masonicmuseum/fraternalism/grange.htm