 In its early days, Clive was a coal mining town and a railroad shipping point along the St. Louis – Des Moines Northern Railway.The railroad depot, which dates back from 1882, has been restored while the neighboring Swanson House, dating back from 1911, serves as the headquarters for the Clive Historical Society.After incorporation in 1956, Clive has served as a mostly residential suburb of Des Moines, and the city has grown in both land area and population since that time.