Mark Trail

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Mark Trail, by Ed Dodd

Strip run: 1946 - present

There are very few comic strips focused purely on nature, and Mark Trail is one of them. The message of Ed Dodd and Jack Elrod through the strip has been constant and simple - preservation of the woods, waters, and wildlife for future generations.

Interestingly, Dodd and Elrod originally met while they were involved in Boy Scouts; Elrod was a scout, and Dodd was a scout leader. At the time, Dodd was an advertising agent. In 1946, Elrod successfully sold Mark Trail to a syndicate, and the strip debuted in the New York Post on April 16, 1946. Four years later, he hired Elrod as a background artist and letterer for the strip. Dodd remained on the strip until his retirement in 1946, and Elrod took it over and continues to do so until this day. The strip has won over 30 conservation awards from government agencies and private organizations like the National Wildlife Federation, the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Forest Association, the Georgia Wildlife Association, the American Waterfowl and Wetland Association, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Example of Mark Trail daily by Jack Elrod, March 21, 1998. Copyright North American Syndicate, Inc. Heavyweight paper size: 16 1/2" x 4 3/4". Signed in the top margin of the strip.

Check out Mark Trail for yourself by clicking on the link below.

See more archived Mark Trail strips online by clicking here.