A Special Event: The Ku Klux Klan in Butte County, 1924-1950

The Ku Klux Klan first established itself in Butte County in 1924 in Gridley. By 1928, the county had at least 200 active Klansmen and even some Klanswomen. Butte County clan chapters met in secret and did not engage in local politics or terrorism as some chapters elsewhere did. By spring 1930, the Butte County KKK was largely a memory, no doubt a victim of the Great Depression. Klan or Klan-like activity resurfaced in Oroville in 1949 when residents united to resist any reappearance of the controversial organization in the wake of threats and violence targeted at a local black church. This presentation covers the history of the KKK in Butte County and the responses of the local community to its presence from its first appearance through 1950.

Speaker: Rod Thomson