By Susan Couso
Nicholas Clark was one of the early settlers in the Honey Lake Valley. He came here with his son, William H. Clark in 1856, and then returned to Plumas County. In 1857, he was back to stay. He spent the remainder of his life on his ranch here in the valley enjoying the beauty, peace and quiet of the area.
Nicholas’ life didn’t have an easy start. He was born in Massachusetts in 1816. His family wasn’t wealthy, and the best that his parents, William and Rachel, could do for him was to have him ‘bound out’ to work when he was only nine years old. His new master was cruel, and when Nicholas suffered a vicious beating, he ran away. He eventually found a position with a shoemaker, and this became his trade.
Perhaps his yearning for family life caused him to marry early. He was 18 and his new bride was only 14 years old. Unfortunately, as their baby son was born in 1836, his wife died, and Nicholas was left to care for little William Henry Clark alone.
In 1841, Nicholas married Mary Jane. This marriage was to last, and the new couple had a son, George, born in 1842, and perhaps another son, Robert. The records are unclear.
In 1842, Nicholas found a new job on the Draper, a whaling ship bound for the Pacific Northwest around the Cape of Good Hope. Dissatisfied with the work he ‘jumped ship’ in the Society Islands and worked there as a shoemaker for a time. The next years saw Nicholas working on various ships, once escaping a harsh captain through a porthole, where he swam over a mile to shore. He was imprisoned in Mexico, escaped, and with the help of ‘savage Indians’ made his way back to California.
It was here in the Sacramento Valley where his most famous escapade began. In 1846, as the word spread of the starving members of the Donner Party, Nicholas took note, along with most of the area. In February, 1847, he was part of the Second Relief party who attempted to rescue the Donner Party members.
On March 3, the party left to return with those who were determined to be able to make the trip. Nicholas Clark stayed behind with two others so that they could try to hunt game and thus help those still stranded to survive. Nicholas managed to kill a small bear, which helped save the starved people. The two other rescuers who had been left with Clark, took off while he was out hunting. He, along with several of the Donner Party survivors finally made it back down out of the mountains in April.
Once again Nicholas Clark returned to the East Coast. By 1848, he was home in New York, but gold had been discovered in California! The future again looked brighter out west. So in 1852 he collected his family and started the trek along with thousands of others. In 1853 he arrived in Plumas County and worked there as a shoemaker. He first came to live in the Honey Lake Valley in 1857.
His little family walked into the valley and lived in a dirt-floored, 12′ by 12′ cabin that first winter. Clark purchased land on the southwest side of Honey Lake, and Peter Lassen used his ox team to plow the Clark’s land for them. The Clark property eventually became one of the nicest places in the valley.
Jane Clark died in 1869, and Nicholas again married. This time to Lucy Gates.
Nicholas Clark, along with his son William Henry Clark were charter members of the Lassen County Pioneer Club, comprised of men who were in Lassen County prior to July 1, 1860. Nicholas Clark is buried in the Janesville Cemetery.
