Moose Lodge #1356 in Yankton SD USA, formerly located in a cool 19th-century building with an unfortunate 1950s stucco and brick façade overlaid on first floor, suspended its charter in 2014, however the Moose Lodge neon sign remains, even as the Moose Lodge has become a restaurant and bar in downtown Yankton, South Dakota.
From Yankton.net: (
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"It’s The End Of An Era
Yankton’s Moose Lodge Closes Doors
By Rob Nielsen
rob.nielsen@yankton.net
Apr 30, 2014
Updated Nov 6, 2016
he Yankton chapter of Moose International is no more after 85 years of operation.
Former lodge administrator Wesley Rye, who’s been a member for 43 years, said a few factors led to the lodge’s shuttering.
“There were a couple of reasons (for voting to remove the charter), the main one was because we couldn’t get a board of officers,” Rye said. “It was just something that was hard to keep going with the cash flow and hard to make ends meet.”
At last count, there were 127 members of the Yankton lodge. The lodge had been in operation at its current location at 310 Walnut St. since 1959.
Rye said, at this point, the Loyal Order of Moose is in charge of selling the building and other assets associated with the lodge. The sales will be handled by Moose International regional manager Greg Hanson.
Hanson said there isn’t a timeline for the liquidation of assets.
“We would like to have the matter and everything finalized within 90 days, but there’s really no timeline,” Hanson said.
He added the turn of events is saddening to see.
“I regret a town that loses their Moose lodge,” he said. “We try to do all possible to keep them going, but they get to a point where they get tired or get worn out. With all the good they did in the community over the years, it’s sad to see them give up.”
Despite the loss of the Yankton charter, Hanson said members can move to other units, and the door will always be open to a potential reboot of the Yankton chapter in the future if members decided to pursue.
“Membership will just move to another unit,” he said. “The ones that stay with it may get a second wind and want to organize again. We always hope for it. I’ve had it happen and, hopefully, down the road, it will.”
Rye said he plans to continue being a part of the organization.
“It’s sad to see the lodge go, but I’ll still be a member,” he said."
Although Yankton's Moose Lodge number 1356 closed its doors in 2014, the space still serves the community by helping to revitalize downtown Yankton as Cheers Bar & Grill, which, according to Trip Advisor, is one of the Top Ten restaurants in Yankton as of 2022: (
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