Throughout his long life, John Louis Clarke used his hands to express his words, and even more magically, he spoke through his exquisite carvings of Montana's wildlife. Born in 1881 to a Scottish/Blackfeet father and the daughter of a Blackfeet chief, Clarke was a deaf mute from age two. But Clarke was lucky; the bout of scarlet fever that claimed his vocal cords also took the lives of five brothers.

After a few years training at deaf schools and art institutes, John Clarke settled in Midvale, which would become East Glacier Park. There, in his rustic studio, he spent his days carving the images he loved. He was also an adept painter, working mainly in watercolors. Although far better known for his wildlife portrayals, Clarke never strayed far from his Indian roots.

Even President Warren Harding displayed a Clarke eagle holding the American flag in his Oval Office. In his lifetime, John's precise carving received numerous awards; the 1941 edition of Who's Who in Art says he was "generally considered to be the best portrayer of western wildlife in the world."