The Bohemian Grove Menu

President Herbert Hoover dubbed it “the greatest men’s party on earth.” Others have called it the most exclusive summer camp in the world. Every July, the top movers, shakers and hotshots retire to the depths of the redwood forests of Sonoma for a top secret, completely hush-hush retreat. (No chicks allowed, by the way — the camp is strictly Boys Only.) And while there are extensive precautions to make sure regular Americans can’t get anywhere near it — sentries “scan the outside areas with binoculars” and “infra-red sensors protect the perimeters” — some shadowy tales of the goings on have leaked out. Here are some of the stories:

The club has approximately 2,500 members, with a combined wealth of an estimated $100 billion. Every Republican president since Coolidge has been a member, as well as a few on the other side of the aisle as well. Members include directors of Fortune 1000 companies, corporate CEOs, top government officials and business elites. The waiting list is 3,000 men strong and the average number of years spent on that list is anywhere from 15 to 20.

The list of former and current Grove campers is long and varied. Former guests include Henry Kissinger, Hearst, George Schultz, James Baker, Richard Nixon, the George Bushes, Newt Gingrich, members of the Bechtel family. In 2000, George Bush asked Cheney to be his running mate at the Bohemian Grove.

The Bohemian Club was established in 1872 in San Francisco as an exclusive club of political and intellectual figures who wished to spend a certain amount of time each year relaxing and interacting in a non-business environment. They began camping on the site of the present Bohemian Grove, located 3 miles east of Monte Rio and 1 mile from the end of the Northwest Pacific Railroad Company, in 1891 but didn't officially acquire the land until 1901. The grove itself is a total of 2437 acres of uncut redwoods, including some that are 2000-3000 years old. The land is occupied by approximately 1500 men -- most of them political and business dignitaries -- for two weeks around Midsummer. The encampment is marked by rituals, talks and entertainment meant to revolve around the relaxation and friendship of the members, rather than their political and economic alliances.

On the first Saturday of the camp, an elaborate ritual called the Cremation of Care is held just after dinner. It begins with the procession of a group of men, dressed in red pointed hoods and red robes, some of whom play a funeral dirge while others carry torches. These men also carry a rough, open coffin containing a body made of a black muslin-covered wooden skeleton. According to Domhoff, "this is the body of Care, symbolizing the concerns and woes that important men supposedly must bear in their daily lives. It is Dull Care which must be cremated."

The men of the grove join the procession, following it the to the lake. While the robed men continue to a green meadow on the far side of the lake, where a 40-foot owl-shaped altar resides, the club members seat themselves on the lawn on the opposite side of the lake. Several unseen voices begin to sing, and a hamadryad appears from the branches of a tree near the Owl. The dryad sings as well, reminding the members that as long as these trees are strong and beautiful, so will the men who come here. It then suggests that the men of the camp need to "burn away the sorrows of yesterday" and "cast [their] grief to the fires and be strong with the holy trees and the spirit of the Grove."

Next the High Priest enters the scene, speaking of the reverence members must have for the Owl. The priest warns, "weaving spiders, enter not here" -- a Shakespearean quote to remind these men that they should not discuss business or worldly concerns during the encampment. The robed men take the coffin and lift it to the pyre which is set up in front of the Owl. "Care" tries to discourage the robed men out of burning him, but to no avail. Care is torched and everyone rejoices. After the fire dies down, the men break into smaller groups to drink and tell stories.

DARK SECRETS: INSIDE BOHEMIAN GROVE -Video

Masters of the Universe Go to Camp: Inside the Bohemian Grove

Every summer for more than a century, the all-male Bohemian Club of San Francisco has led a retreat into a redwood forest 70 miles north of the city, four and a quarter square miles of rugged, majestic terrain that members consider sacred. The religion they consecrate is right-wing, laissez-faire and quintessentially western, with some Druid tree worship thrown in for fun. The often bizarre rites have elevated what was once a provincial club for San Franciscans embarrassed by the rude manners of the Wild West into the most exclusive club in the United States, with 2,300 members drawn from the whole of the American establishment and a waiting list 33 years long.

The Story People Magazine Won't Let You Read

When Dirk Mathison, San Francisco bureau chief for People magazine, infiltrated the exclusive Bohemian Grove retreat this summer, he got a view into the U.S. elite that very few reporters have glimpsed. Unfortunately, that elite includes the management of Time Warner, the owner of People, which prevented Mathison from telling his story.More

Bohemian Club & Bohemian Grove: The Worlds Most Prestigious Summer Camp

With its high-powered clientele, coveted privacy and cabalistic rituals, the Bohemian Grove has prompted considerable suspicion. ... The most important events, however are the "lakeside talks" (past orators: Alexander Hague and Casper Weinberger). This year's speaker was Henry Kissinger on The Challenge of the '80s." More

The Bohemian Club and its Secrets

The founder of USA Today recently gave a speech to 1,500 of this country's most powerful men. What did he tell them?

Sorry - it's a secret. More

The Bohemian Grove club: America's ruling elite at work & play

Club membership, which is open only to males, is estimated at 2,700. Those belonging have included every Republican president since Calvin Coolidge, as well as a smaller number of Democratic presidents. The club mixes top-level politicians with the extremely wealthy, including the CEOs of many Fortune 500 corporations and global financial institutions. More

THE CHOSEN FEW - The San Francisco Chronicle
S.F.'s exclusive clubs carry on traditions of fellowship, culture -- and discrimination

On Saturday, some 2,000 CEOs and politicos and arty types arrived at the cool redwoods and lily-choked lake of the Grove, the famous Russian River playground of the powerful Bohemian Club. More

Richard Nixon on Bohemian Grove.mp3