Photograph of a settlement consisting of a number of timber built buildings with the Clinton Hotel in the centre. Outside the hotel is a sign that reads 'Clinton Hotel, J Smith and Co.' and on the hotel porch stands a woman with two children, all of whom face the viewer. In the foreground in front of the hotel, stand two covered wagons pulled by a line of Oxen. A man facing the viewer stands behind the oxen.
The town of Clinton was named after Henry Fiennes Pelham Clinton (1811-64), the 5th Duke of Newcastle. He served as Secretary of State for the Colonies under the Prime Minister, the Viscount Palmerston. Clinton was an important town that provided essential services and was used by travellers and those transporting goods along the Cariboo Wagon Road. The Cariboo Road was built during the 1860s to provide a safe and fast transport link for the transportation of gold from the Cariboo mines and was initiated by James Douglas (1803-77) who was Governor of British Columbia from 1851 to 1864.
