Inside the Secretive Campground Bohemian Grove in California

Publish date: 2024-05-15

Bohemian Grove is a place where strange things happen.

In June and July, some of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the country flock to the redwood grove in Sonoma County, California.

They're all members of the Bohemian Club, a private, all-male club that's counted US presidents, military officials, artists, and business leaders as members.

The Bohemian Grove grounds are dotted with camps bearing strange names — "Mandalay," "Lost Angels," "Isle of Aves," and "Silverado Squatters." Guests are welcome, but women and minors must leave at night.

A hollow concrete owl towers over the Grove's artificial lake, where prominent individuals often visit to give talks on pressing public policy matters.

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During the first weekend of the summer encampment, robed figures sacrifice an effigy as part of a ritual meant to banish all worries from the gathered members. Over the years, a number of those gathered have happened to be US presidents.

A group of former valets who worked at Bohemian Grove's Monastery Camp in Monte Rio, California filed a complaint in June 2023 over labor violations and are seeking up to $1.5 million in damages. The suit alleges that club management "continually worked together to come up with methods to avoid paying payroll taxes and overtime."

Anthony Gregg, one of the plaintiffs, told Air Mail that its retreats involve a lot of drinking and partying, complete with cigars and hot chocolate spiked with horse tranquilizer, and likened its culture to a frat house.

"These guys, they don't want that college experience to go away," Gregg said. "Now they [just] have more money and better alcohol."

Take a look at the Bohemian Club's background some of its notable members.

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