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Collection Summary
Collection: 00032 - North Dakota Oral History Project Photograph Collection
Folder: BA-22
Item: 00004
Title: D. W. Clark dressed as the Old Forty-Niner, Valley City (N.D.)
Date: 1895
Creator: Bye, Hartvick H.
Inscription/Marks: [front] The Old Forty-Niner D.W. H. H. Bye Valley City, N.D. [facsimile] Written on reverse: "D.W. Clark - early settler - very musical. Grandfather of Richard Clark well known teacher of music in Montana and Robee(?) Clark. The three Clark sing sisters (Bryan Clarks daughters I think)* He and his wife celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary about 1920 or '22 or so - at Congregational Church. Ask Elsie Otto and Steins what he did - I do know that when they wanted a horn for their band he found Polly Foss to buy a drug store (Siegfrieds)* so he (Foss)* could play in band - Foss's sons have done well as did he late '95s (date of picture?)
Summary: D.W. Clark wears the costume, beard, and wig of the Old Forty Niner for a play at the Opera House in Valley City.||David William Clark was born May 9, 1854 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. On Christmas day, D. W. married Clara Roselind Porterfield, who was born in Emlenton, Pennsylvania on September 18, 1854. In 1879, David Clark came to Fargo, ND and filed on a preemption and tree claim near Walcott, Richland County, N.D., then returned to Pennsylvania. In 1880 he returned to ND to plow ten acres and seed it to oats. On March 31, 1881, he came to Fargo expecting to build a house and establish an insurance business. He was disappointed to learn the field was well covered, so someone suggested he go to Valley City. David Clark brought his wife and small son, Louis, to Valley City in the Spring of 1881. He built a house which was occupied by the family for 75 years. The Clark family was a musical family. Mr. Clark organized the Valley City Band and both he and his wife sang in the church choir. He operated an insurance agency. Mr. Clark died January 26, 1955.
Red ID: PH_I_122829 Image ID: 182372 Image Notes: 00032-BA-22-00004

Collection: 00032 Digitized Images from Collection
Title: North Dakota Oral History Project Photograph Collection
Date: 1880-1977

Summary: Consists of copies of photographs belonging to people interviewed for the North Dakota Oral History Project. The Project was undertaken by Larry Sprunk, with the cooperation of the North Dakota American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, the North Dakota Farmers Union, and the State Historical Society of North Dakota. The primary objective of the North Dakota Oral History Project was to conduct oral tape recorded interviews with North Dakotans who lived through the state's history and who could speak of this history from a first-hand basis. Interviewees were photographed at the time of their interviews. In addition, the project borrowed over 6,000 historical photographs which were copied and added to the State Historical Society's collection. Many interviewees also donated family histories, documents, letters, ledgers, books, and artifacts.

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