The Village of Clinton has received $20,000 in funding from the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association (CCCTA), which will go toward revising, updating, and expanding their historic walking tour of Clinton; a project which Mayor Susan Swan says will help economic development in the community.
“CCCTA approached us and said they had funding that they were disbursing to communities, especially those that had lost mills or other economic drivers, and asked if we had a project that would fit,” she explains. “It had to be for tourism, and we asked if we could use it for signage on our walking and hiking trails.”
The answer was “no”, so Swan talked with staff to see what else they could do.
“They said that the historic walking tour brochure had some mistakes that needed to be fixed, and then said maybe we could add some new sites. We pitched [the idea] to CCCTA, and they said that it fit.”
The historic walking tour has been around for some time, and provides an opportunity for a self-guided tour through Clinton’s many historic sites and buildings. While most of the sites are downtown, Swan says that it extends as far north as the Clinton Pioneer Cemetery, and to the west along Kelly Lake Road as far as the Catholic church.
“We want to add some new sites to it, so we need to do the research and write-ups for this and get pictures,” she says. The pictures go in the brochure, and there is also a blown-up version of the picture and a write-up at each site. In some cases the original building no longer exists, or has been renovated, so the historical pictures provide a guide to what was formerly at the site or what the building originally looked like.
“We’re hoping to have some Indigenous content [in the revised brochure],” Swan continues. “We’ve had people asking about the Native cemetery on Carson Street, and we’d like to include some history on that.
“We’re looking for suggestions about what people would like to see added. We’re in the preliminary planning stages right now, so any new suggestions are welcome.” Anyone with suggestions about additions to the tour can contact the Village office at admin@village.clinton.bc.ca.
Swan says that the research for the brochure will involve staff and Clinton Museum volunteers. “We can work on the brochure over the fall and winter, and hopefully have it available for next tourist season.”
She adds that the walking tour is currently only available as a brochure, supplies of which are low. “One discussion we’ve had is about putting [the tour] online, but there’s no decision yet.” While people can do the tour without the brochure, because of the pictures at the different sites, Swan says it’s more effective if people have the brochure with them.
“It’s an economic development thing,” she says of the brochure. “We want to increase the number of benches on the main street where people can rest and look at the brochure before hopefully going into our businesses.”
A limited number of copies of the current brochure are available at the Clinton Village office.
The CCCTA destination development funding amounts to $200,000, which is going to six communities and First Nations to elevate tourism opportunities and aid in mid- to longer-term economic diversification and recovery. The investments will support strategic planning, tourism infrastructure, and amenity or product development.
As the lead for tourism development in the region, CCCTA appreciates the opportunity to support local tourism planning and tourism destination development projects.
“Tourism is one of the key economic sectors in the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast,” says CCCTA Board Chair Andre Kuerbis. “We appreciate the investment by the Province in sustainable tourism projects that will lead to long-term employment in our region.”
editorial@accjournal.ca
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