Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks The Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks had modest beginnings in 1868 as a drinking club (then called the "Jolly Corks") established as a private club to elude New York City laws governing the opening hours of public taverns. It has since evolved into a major American fraternal, charitable, and service club with over a million members throughout the nation. An interesting physical artifact of the order is the number of communal cemetery plots once favored by the group. Often these are marked with impressive statuary. External links Official Elks Web Site A History of the Elks in Marin County, California This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.