Mark Trail is the creation of Ed Dodd whose work in the National Parks along with his experiences as a hunter, fisherman, and world traveler inspired him to start the adventure strip in 1946. Born in 1902 in Lafayette, Georgia, Dodd went to work for Dan Beard at the age of 16. Dan Beard was the founder or the Boy Scouts of America and Ed Dodd worked at Beard’s camp in Pennsylvania for thirteen summers. While there, Dodd learned writing and illustration under Beard’s guidance. In 1926 Ed Dodd became the first paid Youth and Physical Education Director for the city of Gainesville, Georgia.

Ed Dodd lived and studied in New York City in the 1940’s. Here he attended the Arts Students League and the likenesses of some of the Mark Trail characters began to appear in his sketch books. Dodd’s first published cartoon was Back Home Again started in 1931, which included characters from Gainesville and North Georgia. In 1946 Dodd started Mark Trail, published by the Post-Hall Syndicate. Tom Hill joined Dodd on the Mark Trail adventure strip in 1948 as an illustrator. In 1950 Jack Elrod joined the team. Elrod is a native of Gainesville and had been a Boy Scout under Dodd. Ed Dodd retired in 1978 after the death of Tom Hill. The strip continues today under the pen of Jack Elrod.

The fictional character of Mark Trail was based on a friend of Dodd’s, Charles N. Elliott. Mark Trail studied biology and ecology in college before serving in World War II as a combat photographer. After the War and while spending time in the Aleutian Islands, he was asked to deliver a Saint Bernard named Andy to “Doc” Davis and his daughter Cherry. The Davis’ lived at Lost Forest which was a wildlife sanctuary and ecological laboratory. Trail decided to stay at Lost Forest and share in their work. He and Cherry were later married. Mark Trail still lives at Lost Forest with wife Cherry and also writes for Woods and Wildlife magazine about current environmental issues. Other characters in the strip include Johnny Malotte, a French Canadian friend who often accompanies Mark on hunting and fishing trips. Rusty Trail is the mischievous adopted son of Mark and Cherry who brought along his dog Sassy. Kelly is a young outdoors writer and friend of the Trail family, who sometimes competes with Cherry for Mark’s attention.

Over the years Mark Trail has become an important symbol of conservation and the environmentalist movement. The Chattahoochee National Forest named 16,000 acres the Mark Trail Wilderness Area. Since 1957 Mark Trail has served as the spokesman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to educate the public about the weather radio safety program. Mark also serves as a spokesman for the National Weather Service (NWS). Jack Elrod integrates the goals of the NWS into the adventure strip to inform individuals on how to preserve the natural world. Mark also promotes the mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Because of the efforts of Ed Dodd and Jack Elrod, Mark Trail has helped educate generations of readers and school children about the importance of respecting the environment.