"Invisible Empire"- really good article in the Press

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Riverside's 'Invisible Empire'


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10:00 PM PST on Saturday, January 31, 2009

The mid-1920s marked the high point in both membership and influence of the Ku Klux Klan. Photos show Klansmen in full regalia marching down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C.

The Klan of the 1920s claimed to be a men's fraternal organization similar to the Masons of the Elks.

The Klan talked up patriotism and 100 percent Americanism.

Their creed promised support for law and order and opposition to bigamists.

The Rev. J.E. Fisher, pastor of the Arlington Methodist Church, defended the Klan in 1924, claiming they stood for "God and every principle of the Christian religion."

Fisher admired the Klan's belief in "pure womanhood."

Critics of the Klan pointed out that it was a secret organization whose members wore hoods, robes and masks to frighten people.

Indeed, the Klan called itself the "Invisible Empire."

While defending patriotism, it was in truth active in oppressing blacks, Jews and other minorities, critics charged.

Riverside had a group of Klansmen of unknown number.

The Klan was able to rent the Poly High School football field for a mass initiation rally that featured a fiery cross delivered by airplane.

The pilot of the delivery plane on July 24, 1924, was Roman Warren, the famous "Cowboy Aviator."

He denied any association with the Klan, saying he was merely doing a job for which the Klan paid him well.

At the rally, Klansmen in hoods and robes seated the guests in the stands.

The only restriction placed upon the Klan in renting the field was Superintendent Wheelock's requirement that the Klansmen not hide their faces.

There was some criticism of Wheelock for his rental of the high school field to an organization that many regarded as a hate group, but he defended his action, stating that he would rent to any fraternal organization.

A large crowd came to see the Klan rally that was open to the public free of charge.

On days both before and after the rally, Riversiders could see fiery crosses being burned on the side of Box Springs Mountain and on other hills around the city.

One night, a group of black people were holding a meeting in their church on Riverside's Eastside.

Fifteen hooded and masked Klansmen walked in the main door of the church, approached the altar, and, without saying a word, turned around and walked out to their cars and drove away. The purpose of the action was to frighten people in their church.

On Saturday, Jan. 10, 1925, a Klan parade took place in downtown Riverside.

More than 100 Klansmen, some on horseback, moved down Main Street from First to Eleventh streets, then Market to Sixth, where the parade disbanded.

Prior to the parade, notices proclaimed, "Spectacular, Surprising, Significant, Nothing like it has ever before been seen here."

Though few citizens admitted membership in the Klan, Sheriff Carl Rayburn later told the press that some of Riverside's leading citizens were active Klansmen.

The kleagle, or head of the local Klan, was Fred W. Thayer, of Highgrove, who ran a pool hall in downtown Riverside.

Though much smaller than in the 1920s, the Klan still exists.

Reach Hal Durian at durian@uia.net

Good find. I knew they had members in Fontana in the past, but didn't know it was like that in Riverside too.

No way in hell the KKK's can do all that shit in that area now in day without getting hurt real bad, that's why the desert is their save haven

This was during the turn of the century before any white flight, before any dramatic change in demographics in these areas. I didnt know they went back that far.

There's still a lot of klansmen out there, they juss keep that shit on the low. I kno Redlands has a lot of them spread through-out the city, also Yucaipa.

Yucaipa is pretty far out. I would agree there is alot of that over there. But I wouldn't say there's alot of it anywhere aside from the desert and rural areas.