# Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo

The International Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo, Incorporated is a fraternal and service organization with members in the forest products industry. Hoo-Hoo has members in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and South Africa.

## History

The Concatenated order of Hoo-Hoo was founded on January 21, 1892, at Gurdon, Arkansas. Its six founders were:
* B. Arthur Johnson, editor of the Timberman of Chicago, Illinois
* William Eddy Barns, editor of the St. Louis Lumberman
* George Washington Schwartz of Vandalia Railroad, St. Louis, Missouri
* A. Strauss of Malvern Lumber Company, Malvern, Arkansas
* George Kimball Smith of the Southern Lumber Manufacturers Association
* William Starr Mitchell, business manager of the Arkansas Democrat of Little Rock, Arkansas
As most of the founders were only connected to the lumber industry tangentially — company executives, newspapermen, railroad men, etc. It was first suggested that the name of the new organization be "Independent Order of Camp Followers". However, the group instead settled on the name Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo — the term hoo hoo having become synonymous with the term lumberman.
The first regular Concatenation was held at the St. Charles Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 18, 1892, when 35 of the leading lumbermen of the country were initiated.$^{:231}$The order was more informal than other secret societies of its day. It did not have lodge rooms, enforced attendance at meetings, or anything else that other orders had that could be avoided. In 1923, the order's headquarters was at the Arcade Building in St. Louis.

## Rituals and symbols

The founders wanted the organization to be unconventional and unregimented. Its one aim would be "to foster the health, happiness, and long life of its members". In a spirit of fun, names for some of the officers were inspired by Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark. The executive committee of the order was known as the Supreme Nine. It consisted of the Snark, the Senior Hoo-Hoo, Junior Hoo-Hoo, Scrivenoter, Bojum, Jabberwock, Custocatian, Arcanoper, and Gurdon. Each state or foreign country was ruled by a Viceregent Snark. Local groups were called Concatenations.$^{:232}$
Judicial affairs and care of the emblem were delegated to a House of the Ancients which consisted of the past executives of the Order and whose members served for life. The Hoo-Hoo emblem is a black cat with its tail curled into the shape of a figure nine. Its colors are white, black, and gold.

## Membership

Membership is currently limited to people 18 and up who are of good moral character and are engaged in the forestry industry or "genuinely interested in supporting the purpose and aims of our order".
Membership was originally restricted to white males over 21 who were engaged in the lumber industry as lumbermen, newspapermen, railroad men, and sawmill machinery men. A Mrs. M. A. Smith of Smithton, Arkansas, was initiated before the gender requirement was passed, so she stayed on as the order's only female member. The order was limited to having a maximum of 9,000 members. In the late 1890s, it had upwards of 5,000 members.$^{:232}$ By the early 1920s, this had grown to approximately 7,000.

## Activities

The Order did not have any sick, disability, or death benefits, but it did quietly perform some charitable work among its members and assist them in finding employment.$^{:231}$
The Atlanta chapter of the Hoo Hoos worked and socialized with the Southern Forestry Congress. A monument commemorating the planting of trees by the Atlanta chapter of the Hoo Hoo Club in 1926 stands just inside the Park Avenue entrance to Piedmont Park.

## Notable members

* James E. Defebaugh, Michigan House of Representatives
* John Kaul, timberman
* Hamilton Love, lumberman, sportswriter, and humorist
* Alfred Pettibone, businessman