Founded in 1867, the Grange, also known as the Patrons of Husbandry, was originally an organization of farmers, dedicated to the advancement of agriculture. In its early days, the Grange had a political mission: pressuring the government to regulate railroads, which at the time engaged in various monopolistic practices. The political cartoon to the right shows the Grange attempting to rouse seemingly indifferent victims of the railroads; notice that the train cars in the background are named “Extortion,” “Bribery,” etc. At the state level, laws regulating railroad practices were frequently called “Granger laws.” Nationally, the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 and the Hepburn Act of 1905 became law in part due to the political efforts of the Grange.

The Grange is now open to everyone, although it continues to have a focus on building strong rural communities. The Grange has approximately 140,000 members and 2000 Grange Halls throughout the United States—one of them in Phoenix, Oregon.

National Grange: https://www.nationalgrange.org/about-us/

Oregon State Grange: https://orgrange.org/

(Wikipedia is an excellent resource on Grange history.)