CULT: Power in the Woods: Bohemian Grove

September 9, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Deep in the redwoods of Northern California, a group of men in hooded robes walk through the trees carrying a long wooden box shaped like a coffin. Inside is a dummy they call Dull Care. They set the box in a black boat, guide it across a lake to an altar beneath a 40-foot concrete owl, and set it on fire as fireworks explode overhead. About 1,500 of the most powerful men in America stand up and cheer. This is opening night at the Bohemian Grove, the most exclusive club in the United States—and for more than a century, its members have worked to ensure the rest of the world never finds out what really happens inside.

From Bohemian Pubs to Redwood Power

The story begins in 1872, when a group of traveling journalists and wandering artists—people called "Bohemians" in those days—started meeting at San Francisco pubs to drink, argue, and swap stories. They wrote up a charter, put on shows they called "jinks," and leaned into their artsy reputation with poetry readings and plays. Mark Twain, Bret Harte, and Jack London all drifted through as honorary members. But putting on productions cost money, so the club began letting in a different kind of member: wealthy businessmen who could bankroll the operation. Inside the club, the divide had a name. The writers and painters were "men of talent." The rich guys were "men of use."

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What you'll learn

1 (00:51) **The Cremation of Care** - The episode opens with a vivid description of the secretive opening-night ritual at the Bohemian Grove, where hooded men burn a dummy called "Dull Care" at the feet of a giant concrete owl.
2 (03:29) **The Club's Promise and the Mystery** - The host introduces the central question of the episode: Is the Bohemian Grove a harmless adult summer camp for the powerful, or a site of occult rituals and secret deals?
3 (05:16) **From Bohemian Journalists to the Ruling Class** - The story begins in 1872 San Francisco, where a group of journalists and artists formed a club called the Bohemians, which gradually transformed into a haven for the wealthy.
4 (09:03) **The Discovery of the Redwoods** - The club found its permanent home in a 2,700-acre private forest of ancient redwoods in Northern California, a retreat designed for leisure, drinking, and a strict "no business" rule.
5 (13:59) **The Shift to Secrecy and Power** - By the 1930s, the club went silent, transforming from a publicity-seeking arts club into a private retreat for the most powerful men in America, including future presidents.
6 (20:05) **The Real Purpose: Bonding the Ruling Class** - Sociologist G. William Domhoff's research argues the Grove is not about the occult, but about building trust and relationships among the American ruling class, with real-world consequences.
7 (25:07) **The Attempt to Expose the Grove** - For over a century, the club successfully kept the world out, but in 1989, journalist Philip Weiss infiltrated the retreat for seven days, revealing a mix of frat-party goofiness and serious power-brokerage.

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Show Notes

Deep in the redwood forests of Northern California lies Bohemian Grove, a private retreat where some of the most powerful men in the world, presidents, business titans, and political power brokers, have gathered in secret for more than a century. Each summer, members of the exclusive Bohemian Club convene for two weeks of camping, revelry, and a strange opening ritual called the "Cremation of Care," performed before a towering stone owl. That secrecy has fueled decades of speculation, from rumors of occult worship to theories that world-shaping decisions are quietly made around its campfires. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes, Vanessa Richardson explores the mysteries of Bohemian Grove, the rituals and rumors that have made it a fixture of conspiracy lore, and the question of what really happens when the world's elite disappear into the woods with no cameras allowed.

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