Individual Details
Cecile Clarke
(21 Jan 1885 - 11 Jan 1979)
Cecile Clarke, Founder of the Clarke Museum
Cecile Clarke was born on January 21. 1885, in Mendocino County. Her parents, Joseph and Annie Clarke, carried on the famiy business on the ranch established in 1869 by Thomas Clarke on 6000 acres between Branscomb and Laytonville. With their son Frank, the Clarke's developed one of the most notable sheep ranches in California, raising Southdown for mutton and Merino and Rambouillet purebred for fleece. The Clarke Ranch won prizes for their wool at State, National and International levels, including the Chicago World's Fair of 1933-34, and the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition in Dallas.
Ms. Clarke and her siblings were taught at home by their mother Annie, a school teacher, who prepared them for high school, which they attended in Ukiah, CA.
Ms. Clarke graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a history degree in 1908. She was in Berkeley during the great earthquake of 1906, and her experiences of the disaster were often recalled for the benefit of her students. Hiring a power boat, she and several of her friends were able to obtain a close-up view of the burning of San Francsicso.
In 1908, Miss Clarke began teaching in Mendocino in the former coastal town of Kybasilla, north of Fort Bragg. She came to Humboldt County to teach at Eureka High School in 1915. As an educator, she was concerned foremost with implanting and supporting moral and ethical standards. While noted for being firm, she was fair and had a reputation as an outstanding teacher.
Ms. Clarke retired in 1950 and acted as full-time curator of the museum she had established at Eureka High School. In 1959, she purchased this bank building and opened the Clarke Memorial Museum in 1960. Ms. Clarke died at the age of 93 on January 11, 1979.
We honor Ms. Clarke's commitment to this community, her hard work and dedication to Humboldt County history is why this museum is here today.
Cecile Clarke was born on January 21. 1885, in Mendocino County. Her parents, Joseph and Annie Clarke, carried on the famiy business on the ranch established in 1869 by Thomas Clarke on 6000 acres between Branscomb and Laytonville. With their son Frank, the Clarke's developed one of the most notable sheep ranches in California, raising Southdown for mutton and Merino and Rambouillet purebred for fleece. The Clarke Ranch won prizes for their wool at State, National and International levels, including the Chicago World's Fair of 1933-34, and the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition in Dallas.
Ms. Clarke and her siblings were taught at home by their mother Annie, a school teacher, who prepared them for high school, which they attended in Ukiah, CA.
Ms. Clarke graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a history degree in 1908. She was in Berkeley during the great earthquake of 1906, and her experiences of the disaster were often recalled for the benefit of her students. Hiring a power boat, she and several of her friends were able to obtain a close-up view of the burning of San Francsicso.
In 1908, Miss Clarke began teaching in Mendocino in the former coastal town of Kybasilla, north of Fort Bragg. She came to Humboldt County to teach at Eureka High School in 1915. As an educator, she was concerned foremost with implanting and supporting moral and ethical standards. While noted for being firm, she was fair and had a reputation as an outstanding teacher.
Ms. Clarke retired in 1950 and acted as full-time curator of the museum she had established at Eureka High School. In 1959, she purchased this bank building and opened the Clarke Memorial Museum in 1960. Ms. Clarke died at the age of 93 on January 11, 1979.
We honor Ms. Clarke's commitment to this community, her hard work and dedication to Humboldt County history is why this museum is here today.
Events
| Birth | 21 Jan 1885 | Mendocino, California, United States | |||
| Death | 11 Jan 1979 | Humboldt, California, United States |
Families
| Father | Joseph Henry Clarke (1853 - 1932) |
| Mother | Annie R. Fowzer (1860 - 1945) |
| Sibling | Frank Cuthbert Clarke (1886 - 1958) |
| Sibling | Belle Clarke (1888 - ) |
| Sibling | Annie Clarke (1890 - ) |
| Sibling | William Victor "Bill" Clarke (1892 - 1955) |
| Sibling | May Clarke (1898 - ) |