Chamber 110th Anniversary Celebration 2019
The origin of the present Chamber of Commerce was formed on April 4, 1909, when the businessmen of Clarinda organized the Clarinda Improvement Association. Three years later, this was changed to the Clarinda Commercial Club. First officers were: J. H. Dunlap, President; William Orr, Vice President; and F. J. Tallant, Secretary. The chief promoters of the organization and the prime movers thereof were: F. W. Parrish, J. N. Miller, W. T. S. White, Valentine Graff, A. F. Beal, W.L. Pedersen, H. E. Parslow, Perry Byerly, G. William Richardson, I. Weil, L. W. Lewis, H. H. Scott, David Tharp, C. A. Lisle, W. B. Shoemaker and others. Through the club, paved streets in Clarinda materialized and the brick depot was obtained with the help of Burlington Railroad officials. The Commercial Club has been a booster for Clarinda ever since its inception and it is a quantity to be reckoned with when there is a chance for Clarinda to be benefited.
