The history begins in 1855 when John Mead Clark and his wife Lucy ventured into the untamed wilderness to settle in what is now known as Bancroft Township. Their chosen homestead was a picturesque piece of land in the northeast quarter of Section 2, surrounded by a grove of stately oak trees with a serene lake glistening to the northeast. This idyllic setting would soon become known as Clark’s Grove.
John Mead Clark, a man who cherished the simplicity of farming over the complexities of business, saw great potential in this landscape. He and Lucy built a sturdy log cabin, creating a warm and welcoming home for their growing family. Over the years, they were blessed with five children: Eugene, Laura, Frank, Walter, and Etha.
The natural beauty and tranquility of the area soon attracted others, and a community began to form around the Clark homestead. The two-square-mile area affectionately became known as Clark’s Grove, a testament to John’s vision and hard work.
On June 29, 1857, John Mead Clark took a significant step in cementing the community's future by establishing a post office at his residence. This marked the first official postal service in the Clark’s Grove area, further solidifying its place on the map.
Thus, the legacy of Clark’s Grove was born, a name that endures to this day, honoring the pioneering spirit and dedication of John Mead Clark and his family.
Clarks Grove started to become a growing village in the late 1890’s. As it continued to grow as a Danish community, it started with the First Cooperative Creamery in the State of Minnesota who also made butter and it was sold locally and shipped to the eastern United States and from there the village grew pretty fast with dairy farms surrounding the area, three grocery stores, the Rock Island Railroad came through the village, a bank, school, hotel, barber shops, blacksmith shops, hardware store, post office, garages that did repairs, meat markets, the First Baptist Church that originally started northeast of the village and grew to over 600 members and built a church in the village in 1915, an insurance company was started in the village, homes, fire department, etc. The highway that once was known as Old Highway 65 went through the village.
