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Clark, Ep

Founder of the Pioneer Hotel chain in the American West. (June 27, 1835 – February 9, 1901)[1]

Shortly after the Civil War, Epeius Clark saw the opening American West as a golden opportunity for a new business model. Knowing that travelers west of the Mississippi would appreciate touches of Eastern comfort in uncivilized frontier towns, he created one of the very first hotel chains. His Pioneer Hotels quickly spread from Kansas to California, providing comfortable and familiar accommodations to travelers of all kinds.[1]