Prairie Engine

Prairie Engine recalls the early days of the railroad and its importance in the development of Clive. The sculpture conveys the power and movement of a by-gone era and historically connects Clive's past to its present., The deep brown metal of Prairie Engine anchors it to the ground and suggests the richness of the Iowa earth and the steadfastness of its people. Sweeping stainless steel stems reach skyward like flowing prairie grasses. Abstracted cogs and gears stand as symbols for the powerful mechanical movement of locomotives and the determined, hard-working people., Prairie Engine calls attention to time, place, and placement within the world. Global positioning coordinates, cut into the smaller sculpture, provide the location of a Clive landmark, the original railroad station., Prairie Engine projects a sense of charging forward with precision and determination, connecting Clive's past with its Vision for the future., History of Clive , Clive is an old community, but a young city, incorporated on October 9, 1956. Maps dated in the 1880's first show Clive as a small settlement clustered around the intersection of the Walnut Creek, a railroad, and a county road. The community was an early rail shipping point and coal mining area. It was platted on January 18, 1882 by the Union Land Company., Where the name "Clive" originates is under speculation. One theory is the name came from a British General, Robert Clive, who served in the late 1700's as administrator and founder of the British Empire in India. The other theory is when the rail line was being constructed, there was a section gang foreman named Clive (unknown whether Clive was his first or last name). When a car at the main yard in Des Moines had been loaded with materials such as rails, ties, and spikes, the workers were told to send the car out to "Clive.", The Depot , Built in 1882, the depot was the cornerstone for the community of Clive. Trains came and trains went. Lots of trains. Freight, mail, cattle, produce, and passengers made their way through the doors of the Clive Depot. To the right is a view looking northwest at the intersection of Swanson Boulevard and N.W. 86th Street. The Clive Depot is shown at the bottom left., Howe General Store , The general store on the northwest corner of N.W. 86th Street and Swanson Boulevard was opened in the late 1800's. It was operated by several people until purchased by William Howe in 1915 and then later leased to other proprietors. The original store burned in the 1920's and was replaced with a different structure that served as both a store and post office until 1949., It is difficult to imagine that Clive, now a highly urbanized part of metropolitan Des Moines; was once a vital shipping point on the Milwaukee Railroad. Around the turn of the century, trains rumbled past the depot at N.W. 86th Street and Swanson Boulevard every half hour. Work crews, or "bridge gangs," often camped by the depot. They stayed for a week or two as they went about repairing the tracks. Frank Charles, the one wearing the hat below, was in charge of this bridge gang.