Although Mr. Clark has not been in Nez Perces County as long as some of the pioneers, still he has been in different sections of the west for a long time and has wrought with energy and skill and. thrift in these various places for their up building and advancement, and during the time of his stay here he has made a good record for himself and is one of the established business men of Gifford. He operates a feed and livery stable and does a good business.
Philander H. Clark was born in Blount County, Tennessee, on June 4, 1863, being the son of Philander H. and Margaret J. (Dearmond) Clark, natives of Tennessee, where they now reside. The ancestors came from Scotland and England and were of French descent.
Our subject remained at home until twenty, gaining a good education from the common schools and from Marysville College. Then he came alone to Polk County, Oregon, purchased land and settled to farming. He remained there until 1890, when he sold out and came to Colfax, Washington, and selected land eight miles north from that town. He tilled the soil in a becoming manner there for a decade and then sold again and on this occasion he made a visit to his home place in Tennessee, renewing old acquaintances and having a pleasant time with his aged parents and the other members of the family. But the pleasant associations of the east were not able to allure one whose spirit had tasted the freedom and stir of the Occident, and accordingly we see Mr. Clark back in the west and soon settled in Gifford, the date being October, 1901. He opened a feed stable, which he has been improving, and during the months in which he has labored here he has gained a good trade and is fast becoming popular with the people of his section and the traveling public who require rigs. He is known as a reliable and accommodating man and one who exerts himself for the safety and welfare of his patrons.
Mr. Clark has three brothers, James R., a farmer about two miles northeast from Gifford; Robert and Thomas E., both living with the parents in Tennessee. Also Mr. Clark has one sister Mary, who resides with her parents. Mr. Clark had one uncle and two nephews in the Confederate army, while his father was a strong Union man.
Our subject is a member of the W. of W., at Lookout. Mr. Clark owns his own property and stables here and is one of the thrifty and respected men of the community.
Back to: Nez Perce Biographies
Source: An Illustrated History of Northern Idaho, Embracing Nez Perce, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone Counties, Western Historical Publishing Company, 1903