CLINTON
Clinton’s population: 636
Clinton is a small community located on Highway #97 in the South Cariboo region
of British Columbia, between Cache Creek and 100 Mile House.
A townsite was built here in 1862 at the junction of the Harrison-Lillooet Trail
(known as the Douglas Trail and the Old Cariboo Road where Lillooet was Mile 0),
and the Cariboo Wagon Road (todays' Highway #97). For this reason, it was known
for a time in the 1850s as “The Junction”. During the Cariboo Gold Rush in the
beginning of the 1860s, it was known as 47 Mile House, because of it, being
located 47 miles from Lilloet on the Old Cariboo Road.
Clinton became a very important stagecoach stop during the 1860s Gold Rush for
tired and weary miners heading towards the goldfields at Barkerville. After the
gold rush subsided, Clinton relied on the ranching industry. Some of the oldest
ranches in British Columbia, operate in Clinton and the surrounding area.
Clinton which became incorporated as a village in July of 1963, was renamed
“Clinton” in 1863 for Lord Henry Pelham Clinton, a former Duke of Newcastle and
Colonial Secretary from 1859 to 1864. The Colonial Secretary was a title given to a
British cabinet minster, in charge of handling and managing the affairs of the
United Kingdom’s various colonial dependencies (such as Canada).
The Clinton Hotel was the host of a ball that was an annual event in the hotel from
1868 to when the hotel burned to the ground in 1958, however it is still a lively
event but it is held in other locations in town. For nearly 100 years, it was also a
landmark serving as a stopping point for travelers traveling along Highway #97. It
was located at the northern section of town across the highway to the Wolf's Cry-
Inn and Liquor Store. Ironically, when it burned down in 1958, it happened the
morning after that year's ball.
In the community, Highway #97 runs right through its downtown core and there
some services for travelers including gas stations, grocery store, credit union, a
couple of restaurants and there are also numerous tourist attractions of historic
interest, including a cemetery that dates back to 1861. A museum located inside a
old brick schoolhouse, is also located here. It recalls the history of the Cariboo
Gold Rush and Clinton's beginnings.
Pavilion-Clinton Road, just south of the core of town, is a pleasant 40-kilometer
backroad that goes southwest from here, to the small community of Pavilion as
well as Highway #99 and Lillooet. Through here are provincial parks (Marble
Range, Edge Hills and Downing), lakes (Kelly Lake), and river canyons to explore.
The road also has access to the backroad ranching communities of Jesmond and
Big Bar located just to the west, The turnoff to these communities is just before
Downing Provincial Park. Travelers can also access Williams Lake (via the Gang
Ranch and Dog Creek) on this road as well.
Travellers should be advised that travel on the Clinton-Pavilion Road just past
Downing Provincial Park, on the road to Pavilion, is best recommended for
summer travel only or to have a vehicle in superior working condition. There are
areas where the road is muddy in some spots and between September and April, it
can experience heavy snowfalls. It is also recommended to check in both Clinton
and Lillooet for road conditions for travel on this road. Similar to a stretch of
Highway #99 between Lillooet and Pemberton, this road also has several
kilometers of switchback (hairpin) turns.
 |
| downtown Clinton |
]
