Monadnock Moment No. 110

Era 4: Expansion and Reform - 1800 to 1860

Galen Clark in the Wilderness

Jonas Clark settled in Dublin, New Hampshire in the year 1797. He operated a woolen mill there until 1804 when he moved with his wife and four young children to the wilderness of Shipton, Quebec. The Clarks had seven more children after their move to Canada. Their seventh child, Galen, was born at Shipton in March of 1814.

The Clark family returned to Dublin in 1819 and it was here that Galen spent his childhood years. He tried his hand at farming as a young man, but did not care for that profession and moved to Missouri in the 1830s. He soon married and moved to Philadelphia with his new family. Clark's wife died at Philadelphia and he drifted West and prospected for gold in California. While in California, Clark's health failed and the doctors gave him one year to live. Discouraged, he hiked alone into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. While hunting near Yosemite Valley, Clark met a group of friendly Indians who told him a fabulous tale of a forest of gigantic trees which no white man had ever seen. He investigated their tale and was amazed to find himself among a growth of evergreens averaging more than 250 feet tall and 20 feet in diameter. Clark had found California's giant Redwood trees.

He remained among these trees, regained his health, and opened a small hotel nearby. The area soon became a public park and tourist attraction, and Galen Clark of Dublin, New Hampshire was appointed official guardian and custodian of the Redwood forest.