Clark's Bears
Coordinates: 44°2′54″N 71°41′8″W / 44.04833°N 71.68556°W
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Averys_Garage%2C_Clark%E2%80%99s_Trading_Post%2C_NH.jpg/220px-Averys_Garage%2C_Clark%E2%80%99s_Trading_Post%2C_NH.jpg)
Clark's Bears, previously named Clark's Trading Post,[1] is a visitor attraction in Lincoln, New Hampshire, United States, in the White Mountains. It is known for its trained bears[2] and for the White Mountain Central Railroad, a 30-minute, 2.5-mile (4.0 km) steam-powered train ride.
Clark's Bears includes several museums:
- Americana Museum - collections of American historic items including steam and gas engines, early household appliances, advertising and products
- 1884 Pemigewasset Hook and Ladder Fire Station -horse-drawn fire engines, wagons and firefighting equipment
- Clark History Museum - History of Clark's Trading Post and the Clark family
- Florence Murray Museum - includes antique games, guns, swords, souvenir china, typewriters, railroad memorabilia
- Avery's Garage - a replica gas station with early motoring memorabilia, vintage motorcycles and antique automobiles
The attraction is located along U.S. Route 3, 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the village of North Woodstock and 9 miles (14 km) south of Franconia Notch.
History[]
The property opened as a roadside stand in 1928 known as "Ed Clark's Eskimo Sled Dog Ranch", selling souvenirs and allowing visitors to view Florence and Ed Clark's Labrador sled dogs.[2] The Clarks purchased their first black bear in 1931, and Florence and Ed's sons Edward and Murray began training the bears in 1949.[3]
In the 1950s, the Clark brothers began salvaging old steam locomotives and displaying them at the Trading Post. This led to the construction of the White Mountain Central Railroad, a purpose built tourist railroad with a 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge track. Construction on the railroad began in 1955 and the first train ride was on July 30, 1958. The 30-minute train ride includes an appearance by the Wolfman, a wild prospector protecting his unobtainium mine by harassing the train passengers. The current train ride is powered during most of the season by a Climax steam locomotive and mid-weeks during fall foliage season by a 1943 GE diesel locomotive. The train's route includes a 1904 Howe truss covered bridge that was dismantled from East Montpelier, Vermont, and reassembled across the Pemigewasset River at the Trading Post.[4]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Bailey, Kathleen D. (July 28, 2019). "Clark's Bears: The side shows may change, but the bears remain". New Hampshire Union Leader. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
- ^ a b Andrew Burmon (Oct 12, 2012). "Clark's Trading Post's Black Bears Help Keep a Roadside Tradition Alive". The Huffington Post. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- ^ "Clark's Trading Post [history]". Clark's Trading Post. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- ^ "Take a steam-powered journey through history, but beware of the Wolfman!". Clark's Bears. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Clark's Bears. |
- Official website
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. NH-39, "Clark's Bridge, Spanning Pemigewasset River at Clark's Trading Post, Lincoln, Grafton County, NH", 10 photos, 1 color transparency, 6 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
- Buildings and structures in Grafton County, New Hampshire
- Historic American Engineering Record in New Hampshire
- Lincoln, New Hampshire
- Museums in Grafton County, New Hampshire
- Roadside attractions in the United States
- Tourist attractions in Grafton County, New Hampshire
- Amusement parks in New Hampshire
- 1928 establishments in New Hampshire