The origin of the name “Woodmen” was never clearly documented according to the history and facts of the organization. In 1883, a man by the name of Joseph Cullen Root organized a fraternal society in Omaha, Nebraska, called Modern Woodmen of America. It was said that the woodcutter theme may have come from a sermon Root attended where the minister compared the community’s need to work together to "pioneer woodsmen coming together and clearing forests to provide for their families.” One of the benefits of being a member was that upon death, the other members would pass around a hat and donate money to the widow. Later when passing around the hat became more frequent and costly, Root decided to sell life insurance to members. Modern Woodmen of America became a fraternal benefit society. Membership was limited to white males aged 18 to 45 in good health that lead a high moral life, lived in small communities, did not have hazardous employment and exemplified good habits. Surprisingly, religion was not a characteristic that decided membership. 

In 1890 members of the organization had a falling out and Root was evicted from the society. He then formed the Woodmen of the World. For the most part this organization was similar to its predecessor. A few differences were now men between the ages of 16 and 52 were eligible for membership and were offered a burial benefit as well as death and disability benefits. One source I found also said that the new organization "took extra steps to maintain the secrecy and mystery associated with its ceremonies." Fred A Falkenburg, a leader in the society, moved to Denver in 1899 and formed the Woodmen of the World Pacific Jurisdiction. The Woodmen of the World society still remains today, as an insurance company, providing service to over 800,000 members across the nation.  

One of the objectives of Root when he founded the Woodmen more than a 100 years ago was to provide a decent burial for all members. At the beginning gravestones were furnished to members free of charge. Woodmen gravestones were originally intended to be all the same from a design that was sent from the home office to the local stonecutters. However, not all cutters followed the design and the result was a wide range of designs, shapes, and sizes that reflected members' personal tastes and included elements that were symbolic of Woodmen ceremonies or rituals. A tree stump, part of the society's logo, is the most common symbol used on gravestone designs, and many have the society’s motto engraved, Dum, Tacet Clamat (though silent, he speaks), and the stones can stand anywhere from a foot to ten feet high. 

During the 1920’s the society stopped providing the stone markers to members because of their cost as well as cemeteries began prohibiting above ground markers for maintenance reasons. However, these older stones can be found in several cemeteries through out the United States. In Colorado, besides at the Lynn Grove cemetery in Greeley, they can also be found at the cemeteries in Alma, Durango, Cortez and Salida. There is one cemetery in Grand Rivers, Kentucky that only has Woodmen gravestones and another cemetery in Laredo, Texas has a Woodmen only section. In fact, it is not uncommon to find at least one Woodmen stone in most old cemeteries across the United States.