NKP Cloverleaf in Maumee

Last week I took a tour of the The Wolcott House Museum Complex in Maumee. I had a long discussion with the curator about the Maumee depot that is on the site. He is new to the job and does not know a lot about the history of the station.

Does anyone know about the history of the station?

I know it was a NKP station and was part of the Cloverleaf division. Since
I grew up in NY state I actually do not know what the significance of the Cloverleaf division was or why it was called the Cloverleaf. Any ideas?

The brochure only states: The 1880's depot was moved from the center of Maumee to this site in 1971. It was a frantic hub of activity when serving as the passenger and freight station for Clover Leaf Railroad. Construction is typical of the period.

Are the "Cloverleaf" depots different designs than other NKP depots?

What is the proper color scheme for the depot(s)? Grey, Red, Tan, etc?

If you would like me to post pictures of the exterior and interior...just ask!!

A few more questions:

Why was the Cloverleaf called the Cloverleaf?

It seems to me that on the NKP there were few name boards that labeled the stations, instead the station name was painted on the station itself on the exterior. Why was this the case?

Did NW place nameboards on the stations when it took over? I know it did in Angola, NY.

The Cloverleaf was the reorganized Little Giant route an aborted attempt to build a 3ft narrow gage trunk from the Atlantic to the PAcific. Orignally this part of the route was the Toledo, Cincinnati & St. Louis I believe built in the late 1870's.

It was reorganized in 1886 in a rather complicated manner under three different companies, but the upshot is it became the Toledo, St. Louis & Kansas City. In recognition of its being pulled from oblivion it adapted the Cloverleaf Symbol of its fortune with three leaves, one for each state (Indiana, Ohio and Illinois), hence the name Cloverleaf.

Later in 1886 it was standard gaged and was consolidated into the NKP in 1923. On account of the fact it was originally a 3ft gage it was a bit of an operating / engineering headache and most through trains eventually bypassed portions of it from Frankfort east in favor of the better LE&W Route.

I have no idea about the Maumee Depot, but if it was built prior to 1923 it would have been under Cloverleaf Management or prior so as not to a NKP plan book.