Winnebago Historical Society

10/10/2026

Jim's funeral is the 18th of October at the Boman please join us in celebration of his life

10/10/2026

SHOW OF Tractor owners.... If you have a Gas tractor in our building please email me! We want to chat with you about your Gas tractor! And how we can best display it!
[email protected]

10/09/2026

Cashing in the chips!!!
Hold them or fold them is the question.
Heritage Park teams up with the Forest City FFA to farm in an educational experience of actual farm production practices. Today was harvest where 925 bu were combined around the vet clinic. Many of the inputs are donated from Pioneer Seed, Chemicals, rent, fuel and today harvesting with Vo-Ag students present.
A win -win for all when the weather cooperates!!!!
We thank the family farm for their donation of time and equipment. They wish to be a silent partner in their gift for which we respect !!!!!!But if we named them it wouldn’t surprise you of their generosity.
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10/09/2026

"THIS ONES FOR YOU, JIM!"
"His eyes spell mischief, his smile says hi! We all like him he's one swell guy!
To those who knew Jim Oulman, all would know they knew one heck of a person. Working at Winnebago for 33 years in its developing stages, Jim had to learn to be flexible using his engineering and human resources skills to keep up with fast changing work place.
I encourage Jim to record experiences and now have 74 pages of how Winnebago got to where it was in his time from the insider grassroots level.
He told of Dodge pickup trucks where Detroit said the K-D Kaps that went on their boxes were not square. Corporate Jet took Jim and his team into Detroit where he asked for a tape measure to find their boxes weren't square and the WGO Kap was!
One morning John K. told him to get in the car as they were going for a drive. Jim thought John K. was going to can him. But instead he pulled into a corn field on Crystal Lake gravel road across from the city dump and told Jim he bought the farm last nite was going to build a factory producing 200 motor homes a week which in reality turned out to be 500 motor homes a week!I
Jim also told of the drinking that went on the lines of WGO on Christmas Eve to where he went and showed Gerald Boman the fiasco and someone was going to get hurt or killed. John K. delivered his Xmas speech early and shut the plant down!
Jim also shared when two alpha type females in the work force get into it, there is never a winner.
When Jim was involved, he was all in and at our Historical Society and Heritage Park with knowledge and most of all common sense. He knew how to calm down tense situations by looking at the big picture and calming damage control.
He always had his camera taking shots at what needed to be recorded and in his final months they were transferred into our files!
Three years ago we built a new vault which now carries the name of "Jim Oulman Vault!"
We are all going to miss the tall guy but he told me in the last months he was lucky to be here for all the challenges of health he had.
So we say good-bye with fondness to a person who made this world better and more enjoyable! A guy that anybody could talk to and a guy who loved Winnebago and Forest City!
"Thanks for the memories Jim -This ones for you!"
Riley Lewis
Please share any thoughts you have for the family!

10/09/2026

10/08/2026

Just a note of sadness that Jim Oulman of Heritage Park and the WHS passed away this am. Much to say about Jim as he served many community ways while played a role in engineering for a developing company called Winnebago.
Our prayers and thoughts to you Sharon and his family today and the days ahead. He will be missed by all of us…….
Please share you thoughts if you wish
Thank you!!!

10/07/2026

ARE YOU READY TO STORE YOUR TRAILER, TRUCK, RV, VAN , Tractor or farm equipment....
FOR THE WINTER?
CALL US OR EMAIL
Heritage park north Iowa in Forest city is ready to beat the winter.
JUST A FEW SPOTS LEFT! 641-432-3855
[email protected]