In 1903 Clinton developed after the Blackwell, Enid and Southwestern Railroad (later the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway) and the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway (later the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway) built lines through the town. Clinton grew rapidly when one hundred buildings were moved from Parkersburg, a community located three miles east of Clinton. The Parkersburg railroad depot was moved to Canute, and Parkersburg became a ghost town in 1906.

Today nothing remains of Parkersburg except for the old cemetery which can be seen on the south side of Interstate 40 next to the Parkersburg exit.