It all began in 1858, when a number of Freemasons, most of them from England, who had come to the new Colony of Vancouver’s Island and settled in Victoria, made application to the United Grand Lodge of England to found a new lodge.

After some delay they finally received authorization to form Victoria Lodge No. 1085 E.R., now Victoria-Columbia Lodge No. 1, G.R.B.C. & Y., and to use the English or Emulation Work.

By 1860, many American Freemasons had arrived in Victoria in their search for gold.

They found the English work very strange and desired to obtain a charter to perform the American work familiar to them.

Since a charter to do this would not be granted by the United Grand Lodge of England, they were advised by Dr. Israel Wood Powell (later to become the Grand Master of B.C.), that a charter could be obtained from the Grand Lodge of Scotland which would allow them to practise their American work, as that Grand Lodge had not adopted any standard ritual.

In 1862 a charter was received for Vancouver Lodge No. 421 S.R., now Vancouver-Quadra Lodge No. 2, G.R.B.C. & Y. Thus the Grand Lodge of British Columbia acquired the Scotch or Scottish ritual, now known as the American or British Columbia Ancient Work.

In 1887, Vancouver had only one lodge, Mount Hermon No. 7 on the Register of the Grand Lodge of B.C., and it used American work.

A number of brethren from Ontario, who arrived in B.C. to work on the Canadian Pacific Railway, made application to Grand Lodge for dispensation to form a lodge to practise the Canadian work with which they were familiar.

Their request was granted and Cascade Lodge No. 12 was born, using the Canadian Work of British Columbia.

In 1893 the Grand Lodge of British Columbia decided that all new lodges formed after that date should select one of the three rituals authorized at that time:

The English as practised by Victoria-Columbia Lodge No. 1,
The American as practised by Ashlar Lodge No. 3 of Nanaimo, or
The Canadian as practised by Cascade Lodge No. 12

History