The property opened as a roadside stand in 1928 known as "Ed Clark's Eskimo Sled Dog Ranch", selling souvenirs and allowing visitors to view Florence and Ed Clark's Labrador sled dogs.

[4] In the 1950s, the Clark brothers began salvaging old steam locomotives and displaying them at the Trading Post.

[5] The railroad includes a 1904 Howe truss covered bridge that was originally located in East Montpelier, Vermont, where it spanned the Winooski River and carried trains for the Montpelier and Barre Railroad.

[6] The bridge was purchased by the Clark brothers and dismantled in 1964,[7] then moved and reassembled to span the Pemigewasset River near the Trading Post.

[9] Clark's Bears includes several museums: Other locations with historic trains in a non-historic setting: