The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1916-04-06
NEWTON CLARK
LOCAL PIONEER
MIR. CLARK ARRIVED HERE IN 1877
Grasshoppers Drove Him From Dakotas,
Where County Was Named for
Him Prominent 0regonian

|
Where County Was Named for
Him Prominent 0regonian
Married at North Freedom, Wis, on
October II, 1860, Mr.. and Mrs. Newton
Clark, of this city, have trodden the
pathway Of life's long journey together
longer tthan most couples Of Oregon.
Yet few men or women who have not
yet reached the three score and 10
mark are more active or vigorous than
this sturdy couple, typical product of
the frontier and pioneer life. With
all faculties alert and hale and hearty
both are enjoying their old age. Both
are possessed of an optimism and en-
thusiasm that youth might envy.
Mr.. Clark was born In Illinois, May
q, 1888. His wife is a native of Scot
land. The former moved with his par
ents to Wisconsin, where he resided
until 1870, when he and his wife moved
to the Territory of Dakota, where be
took up homestead two miles from
the present city Of Sioux Falls. He
built the first frame house erected in
Minnehaha county. MIR. Clark, always
a staunch Republican Of the Abraham
Lincoln school, has participated in pol
itics prominently both in South Dakota
and Oregon. He was a member of the
legislative assembly of the former
state, and introduced the bill defining
the boundaries of Minnehaha county as
they at present exist.
A graduate of Point Bluff Institute,
Mr.. Clark is a skilled civil engineer,
and much government land has been
surveyed by him. He laid out the sec.
tions and townships of much public
land in the Territory of Dakota. Clark
county. South Dakota, bears bis name.
From 1878 to 1886 he fulfilled contracts
made with the government and sur
veyed hundreds of acres of the public
lands of the rugged sections Of the
northwest. His crews of men laid out
the section lines of land in the southern
part of this county. and timber cruisers
today find the marks made by him on
trees in the forest reservation more
than 30 years ago. No man has ever
taken greater interest in the explora-
tion of the scenic mountain districts
Of the mid Columbia. He was a pio-
neer in ascents of Mount Hood, and
one of the mighty glaciers of that peak
bears the name of Newton Clark. Even
today he takes pleasure in jaunts over
the great wilds of Oregon, both here
and at Lake Lytle on the coast, where
he and Mrs. Clark spend their sum-
mers at cottage he has built.
Destiny in the form of a scourge OF
grassh0ppers sent Mr.. Clark and his
family to Oregon.
II tried farming on my homestead in
Dakota" he says, "but after two years
of successful crops of grasshoppers.
became disgusted with that form of
agriculture and struck for Oregon,
driving team overland.
MIR. Clark arrived here the first week
of September. 1877, and his worldly
wealth in addition to the outfit con.
sisted of the sum of 81. so in money.
''We found the Hood River valley as
nature had designed 1t and habited by
a handful of pioneers. none of them
wealthy enough to look with scorn on
their nearest -neighbors miles away.
The salubrity of the climate, its free
dom from storms of wind and lightning
of summer and its frigid blizzards of
winter as compared with the Dakotas,
all delighted US. And best of all. there
were no grasshoppers to eat the fruits
of hard labor before they were har-
vested. cheerfully invested my for
tune of good health and my little of
worldly wealth.
"The money went for the purchase
of an axe-.an unfortunate investment |;
for it took many hard days work to
wear it out. But had seen enough of
pioneer life in the middle west to know
that industry and economy would thrive
upon hard times.
"There was no such thing as organ
lied industry in the valley at that time.
No one wanted hired man; no one had
money to pay for help. Literally. there
was no money to be had. Cordwood,
with The Dalles as bank and scow
as the means of exchange, was the only
circulating currency, and 1t took the
grace Of west wind to cash check.
| 1t can be seen that the way of pio.
neer was indeed hard one.
There was only one way out for me
to take the first work that came to
hand, whether there was money or not.
And when that was finished to take the
next job that offered. Any kind of a
task was better than being idle. l
learned that Henry Coe. pioneer. had
planned to re-roof his house. but that
be had not secured his supply of shin.
giles. took the job of supplying him
with his material. although up to that
time had never made a shingle nor
had ever seen cedar tree.
| $50 started up in the mountains to
see II enough timber could be found. A
wagon trail had been made to the cedar
swamp, the present location Of Parker
Town. Reaching the swamp l found
Hudson and Phelps, two other pioneers,
in search of shingle timber. With
plenty of timber in sight took the job
of furnishing for them as we'll as Mr..
Coe. That was the dawn of prosperity
for me.
I'VE all started back down the trail,
the other two men to return to their
homes, while went back for my outfit
and my family. AS we walked down
the steep mountainside single file, In.
dian fashion, was In the vanguard.
Suddenly two bear broke from the tim
Der right in front of US. / dropped to
the ground to allow Hudson. who had a
gun, to take a shot at the animals.
Seeing that he seemed excited, whis-
pered softly, Shoot low! The bear
evidently heard my whisper. He STOP
ped in the trail, not 75 feet distant,
and looked US over, evidently surprised
L ksxr kAswx
Hudson fred, but whether his bullet
sped in the direction of the bear no one
ever knew. The front animal jumped
away into the bushes, while the rear
bear took to a big fir tree standing be-
side the trail.
81 knew the bear would not remain
up the tree without persuasion.
rushed to the foot of the tree and be-
gan to punch him With a long stick.
But instead of going higher be began