Independent Order of Good Templars. Lodge Linnea No. 76 (Vancouver, B.C.)

Lodge Linnea No. 76 Lodge No. 76 was organized in Vancouver under the auspices of the Independent Order of Good Templars in 1908. The Scandinavian Canadians were the only ethnic group in Vancouver to organize under the IOGT. Founded in New York State in 1851, the IOGT promoted abstinence and world peace. The movement soon spread to England and Scandinavian countries. In the beginning, the Lodge was primarily concerned itself with the temperance movement. The obligation to abstain from alcohol was a strict condition of membership and those guilty of drinking or having anything to do with alcohol were expelled. The Lodge also organized social functions including literary, musical and cultural programs before disbanding in 1940.