E Clampus Vitus was conceived in the mountains of West Virginia by Ephraim Bee and brought to California’s mother lode by Joe Zumwalt as he sought fortune. Once established there, it spread through the diggin like wildfire and grew from its 19th century roots into a 21st century organization dedicated to preserving the history of the Trans-Mississippi West. It presently exists in ten western states, and its chapters and individuals helped make ECV the grand brotherhood it is today.