Bohemian Grove: The Elite Summer Camp in the California Redwoods
Each summer, members of San Francisco's private, all-male Bohemian Club, including well-known business and political figures, gather at a redwood retreat near Monte Rio, California. Theories say secret decisions or occult rituals happen there. Reporting describes an exclusive retreat with theatrical traditions, but has not substantiated those claims.
Verdict: Unproven. The sources below do not establish this claim. That is not the same as proving it false. How we rate stories
The Story
Every summer for more than a century, the private, all-male Bohemian Club of San Francisco has held a retreat in a redwood forest about 70 miles north of the city, near the small town of Monte Rio. According to a 1989 account in Spy magazine by reporter Philip Weiss, the club was founded in 1872 by a group of newspapermen and artists, and its membership grew to include figures from across the American establishment.
The secrecy and the guest list have made the Grove a favorite subject of conspiracy theories. Some of the record supports the idea that important conversations happen there. Weiss, who got into the 1989 encampment, described lakeside talks by prominent figures, presented as off-the-record even though several thousand people could hear them. He reported that the club's famous rule, 'Weaving Spiders Come Not Here,' meant no business in the Grove, and wrote that it was widely ignored.
The opening ceremony is called the 'Cremation of Care.' It is meant to banish the stress of the outside world.
The darker claims focus on the Cremation of Care, the opening ceremony. Weiss described it as a theatrical production at the Grove's man-made lake, with costumed 'priests,' a figure representing Care and an owl, the Grove's symbol. Its purpose, he wrote, is to put members at ease and banish the stress of the outside world. Critics read the name to mean that members do not care about the world. Claims that it is a real occult or sacrificial rite have no documented support.
What the record shows is a powerful, exclusive and secretive social club. Evidence that it makes policy or practices occult rituals has not emerged.
Origins
According to a 1989 Spy magazine account by reporter Philip Weiss, the Bohemian Club was founded in San Francisco in 1872 by a group of newspapermen and artists. Every summer for more than a century, it has held a retreat in a redwood forest about 70 miles north of the city. Its best-known tradition is the 'Cremation of Care,' an opening ceremony meant to banish the stress of the outside world.
The Claims
- World leaders make secret policy decisions at the Grove.
- The Cremation of Care is a real occult or sacrificial ritual.
- The club's motto, 'Weaving spiders come not here,' hides political dealmaking.
Key Evidence
- In a 1989 article for Spy magazine, reporter Philip Weiss described getting into the encampment and hearing prominent members and guests give talks presented as 'off-the-record.'
- Weiss reported that the membership was drawn from the whole of the American establishment, including former presidents and cabinet secretaries.
- Weiss wrote that the club's famous rule, 'Weaving Spiders Come Not Here,' means don't do business in the Grove, and that in his view the rule was widely ignored.
The Evidence Against
- The Cremation of Care is a staged performance. Weiss described it as an elaborate show at the Grove's lake, with costumed 'priests,' a character called Care and an owl, the Grove's symbol, and noted that it gets new theatrical touches every year.
- Weiss reported that critics interpret the ceremony's name to mean members do not care about the outside world, but the club intends it to banish the stress of daily life.
- Networking among powerful people is documented. Claims that binding decisions are made there are not.
Documents & Sources
- NewsMasters of the Universe Go to Camp: Inside the Bohemian Grove (Philip Weiss, Spy, November 1989, reproduced on Who Rules America?, UC Santa Cruz) whorulesamerica.ucsc.edu ↗
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