TODAY, THE WEATHER WAS PERFECT. AND THERE WAS A NICE TURNOUT FOR ANOTHER BIG EVENT IN MAQUOKETA. THIS WAS THE FORMER CLINTON ENGINES ADMINISTRATION BUILDING. TODAY, IT IS THE NEW CLINTON ENGINES MUSEUM, OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE JACKSON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY. AND THE GRAND OPENING AND RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY WAS TODAY. THE EVENT STARTED OFF WITH A WAFFLE BREAKFAST AT 8 A.M....THE DEDICATION PROGRAM WAS AT 1 P.M. ..THE RIBBON CUTTING AT 2 P.M. AND A RE-UNION OF FORMER CLINTON ENGINES EMPLOYEES FOLLOWED, ALONG WITH HORSE AND WAGON TOURS OF MAQUOKETA....AND HUNDREDS OF GREAT COMMENTS FROM THOSE IN ATTENDANCE. EVERYONE LIKED THE NEW TOURIST ATTRACTION FOR MAQUOKETA IT WAS A FUN DAY. OTHER PHOTOS BELOW. REMEMBER TO CLICK-ON EACH PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT. THE RIBBON WAS CUT BY HAL SPRAGUE, USING A CLINTON ENGINES CHAINSAW. I TOOK A MOVIE OF IT FOR THIS DAILY REPORT. HAL IS A SMALL ENGINE REPAIRMAN IN MAQUOKETA, AS HIS LATE DAD BUZZ WAS. HIS DAD WAS A LONGTIME EMPLOYEE OF CLINTON ENGIENS. HOPE THE SHORT VIDEO CAME UP ON YOUR COMPUTER. IF NOT, HOPE YOU ENJOY THE PHOTOS BELOW. NEXT TIME YOU VISIT MAQUOKETA, BE SURE TO VISIT THE NEW MUSEUM. AND TELL OTHERS ABOUT IT.
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THE BASE OF THE FLAGPOLE AT THE NEW CLINTON ENGINES MUSEUM.
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THE FLAG OUT FRONT OF THE NEW CLINTON ENGINES MUSEUM. FLOWERS BY THE JACKSON COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS.
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SPEAKING HERE IS BRIGADIER GENERAL USMC (RETIRED) CHARLES MITCHELL,
THE CLINTON ENGINES DEVELOPMENT PROJECT DIRECTOR. HE WAS THE KEY
PERSON IN DEVELOPING THIS MUSEUM. AND HE WILL SAY, AND BE CORRECT, THAT HE HAD LOTS OF GOOD HELP. ALSO SPEAKING TODAY, JACKSON COUNTY SUPERVISOR JACK WILLEY, IOWA STATE SENATOR ROGER STEWART AND FRANCIS BOGGUS, STATE COORDINATOR FOR IOWA GREAT PLACES. THE GREAT PLACES GRANT TO MUSEUM WAS OVER $100,000. THE $1.3 MILLIONS MUSEUM
IS NOT PAID FOR AND DONATIONS ARE WELCOME. THE PROGRAM THAT PEOPLE RECEIVED TODAY GIVES LOTS OF INFORMATION ABOUT CLINTON ENGINES, THE NEW MUSEUM AND THE "GIVING" PROCESS. IF YOU WOULD LIKE A PROGRAM
SENT TO YOU, EMAIL ME AND I'LL SEE TO IT THAT YOU GET ONE.
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LARGE CLINTON ENGINES PHOTOS ARE ON SEVERAL WALLS IN THE NEW MUSEUM AND NOTE THE TV/COMPUTER MONITOR IN THE CENTER TELLING A STORY ABOUT THE COMPANY THAT WAS MOVED FROM CLINTON, MICHIGAN TO MAQUOKETA, IN THE 50'S, BY ITS FOUNDER, DON THOMAS, WHO DIED ABOUT 16 YEARS AGO.
HIS WIFE DIED A COUPLE YEARS LATER AND BOTH ARE BURIED IN CLINTON, MICHIGAN. THEY HAD ONE SON AND TWO DAUGHTERS. THE SON AND ONE DAUGHTER WERE AT THE DEDICATION TODAY.
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THERE ARE MANY DISPLAYS LIKE THIS ONE IN THE NEW MUSEUM.
HERE'S A TINY CLINTON ENGINES MOTOR SCOOTER.
EIGHTEEN MILLION ENGINES WERE MANUFACTURED DURING THE TIME THE PLANT WAS IN OPERATION IN MAQUOKETA, STARTING IN THE EARLY 50'S AND INTO THE 70'S. AT ONE TIME, OVER 2,000 PEOPLE WORKED AT THE PLANT. MAQUOKETA WAS THE HOME OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST SMALL ENGINE MANUFACTURER..CLINTON ENGINES.
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AT THE NEW CLINTON ENGINES MUSEUM, YOU'LL LEARN HOW AN ENGINE WAS MADE, AFTER VIEWING AND READING DISPLAYS LIKE IN THIS PHOTO. THERE ARE ALSO COMPUTER SCREENS SHOWING CLINTON ENGINES BEING MADE OR ADVERTISED AND MANY PLACES, YOU CAN PUSH A BUTTON, PUT AN EARPHONE TO YOUR EAR AND HEAR THE DESCRIPTION OF THE DISPLAY IN FRONT OF YOU.
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YES, CLINTON ENGINES MANUFACTURED MOTOR SCOOTERS OR GUESS THIS IS A MOTOR BIKE. IT IS ON DISPLAY AT THE NEW CLINTON ENGINES MUSEUM.
IT WOULD BE A POPULAR, ECONOMICAL MODE OF TRAVEL TODAY.
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A DISPLAY OF CLINTON ENGINES AT THE MUSEUM.
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A LARGE GROUP LISTENED TO FOUR SPEAKERS AT THE CLINTON ENGINES
MUSEUM DEDICATION TODAY. THE PROGRAM WAS IN THE BASEMENT AND'
SPEAKING HERE IS CHARLES MITCHEL. EVERYONE CALLS HIM "MITCH".
HIS WIFE OF MANY MANY YEARS IS BONNIE WELLS, MCHS GRAD, AND NOW THE CURATOR OF THE MUSEUMS. SHE AND THE KIDS FOLLOWED MITCH, A MARINE
OFFICER, TO THE VARIOUS STATIONS HE WAS ASSIGNED TO DURING HIS CAREER IN THE U.S. MARINES. HE HAS SPENT TWO YEARS AT THE CLINTON ENGINES BUILDING, AS A VOLUNTEER, BRINGING THE BUILDING FROM NEAR RUINS TO THE GREAT MUSEUM IT IS TODAY.
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