Clare A. Briggs was born in Reedsburg on August 5, 1875 to Mr. and Mrs. William Pardee Briggs.

At an early age Briggs became a sketch artist, and in 1896 he accepted a job as an illustrator with the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. After working for several newspapers, he gained national recognition as a cartoonist with the New York Herald Tribune.

Briggs is best remembered for such titles as “The Days of Real Sport,” “When a Feller Needs a Friend,” and “Ain’t it a Grand and Glorious Feelin’?” His most popular cartoons depicted his boyhood in Reedsburg and made the town’s “Old Swimming Hole” and his childhood friend “Skinny” famous.

He died January 3, 1930, and according to his request his ashes were scattered over New York Harbor.

The keen observation and gentle humor of Briggs are evident in his cartoons and make his work just as enjoyable today as when it first appeared.

Marker is on State Highway 33 0.1 miles east of Wakerly Lane, on the left when traveling east.

Courtesy hmdb.org

Credits and Sources: