The District of Clearwater is situated
at the confluence of the North Thompson and Clearwater
Rivers. Clearwater,
also known as the “Gateway to Wells
Gray Provincial Park”, is situated in the North Thompson Valley
approximately 124 km north of Kamloops on the Yellowhead
Highway #5. The population of Clearwater is approximately
4,960. There are 3 main centers – the
old village beside the Thompson River, the
new townsite on the far side of the Clearwater Bridge,
and beside the Yellowhead Highway where there are a few
hotels, restaurants, gas stations, Visitor Info Centre,
etc.
Vancouver is located 417 km to the southwest, Seattle,
Washington is 597 km south and Edmonton, Alberta is 623
km north. With rail service and the Yellowhead
Highway through the region, Clearwater is well situated
for commerce and tourism. As a gateway, Clearwater
serves as a service center to its own residents and the
traveling public.
Clearwater was originally named “Raft River” by
John Smith, the founder of the settlement. The
fur trade brought non-native settlers through the area
in the 1850’s. The early days reveal a vast commerce
in furs and wood through the North Thompson. Muriel
Dunford, a local historian writes “A report written
in 1862 by French fur traders shows the Clearwater River
as Fourche L’eau Clair” (Fourche because
it was considered a fork of the Thompson River). This
is the earliest mention of the words “Clear Water” to
describe the pristine river that flows through volcanic
rock, having left its silt in the settling ponds of the
big three lakes upstream.”
Europeans first settled the valley around the turn of
the century. Dutch Lake, in the center of Clearwater,
was settled around 1900 and Clearwater soon became a
central service centre for the entire North Thompson
Valley. Steamboats traveled as far north as Vavenby
until 1914 when CN Rail’s main line was constructed
through the valley, becoming the dominant form of long
distance transportation. During the first 30 years
of the 20th Century, Clearwater experienced little growth
until a road was constructed from Clearwater to Kamloops
and families began to homestead the area. A bus
service from Kamloops to Clearwater began in 1932 and
the first school was built in 1939. The Trans-Mountain
Pipeline was constructed through Clearwater in 1953. The
construction of the Yellowhead Highway began in the early
1960’s and it opened in 1970 even though not all
of the bridges were completed. The settlement of Clearwater
was incorporated under the Water Act as an improvement
District in 1968. Seven trustees manage the Clearwater
Improvement District which covers an area of approximately
60 square kilometers.
Clearwater has a trading area that encompasses Birch
Island, Vavenby, Avola, Blue
River and Little
Fort. Little
Fort provides access to the Cariboo via Highway 24. Blue
River is world famous for Mike Wiegele’s Heli-Skiing
Resort and an internationally known luge hill. The dominant
industry in the Clearwater area is forestry, but tourism
is a significant economic contributor and the fastest
growing industry in the region. Approximately 50
to 75 percent of the area’s labour force is either
directly or indirectly linked to the forest industry. The
potential for further growth in the tourism industry
is endless given the community’s proximity to Wells
Gray Provincial Park, white water rafting on the Clearwater
River and the popularity of eco-tourism. Wells
Gray Provincial Park is located in the Cariboo Mountains
and is one of the largest wilderness reserves in the
province (522,000 hectares). Helmcken Falls is
the showpiece of Wells Gray Park and it is the 4th tallest
waterfall in Canada.
The closest scheduled air services are provided at the
Kamloops Airport, but helicopter service is available
in Clearwater. Greyhound Bus Lines serve Clearwater
with a regularly scheduled service and there are trucking
and taxi services in the area. Clearwater has an
elementary and a secondary school, financial services,
health care (hospital and clinics), police protection,
legal services, court services and retail/service industries.
The services which the District
of Clearwater provides include ballpark and playground, cemeteries,
dyke building and maintenance, fire protection, ICBC
insurance, Motor license office, sewage treatment, street
lighting and waterworks system. Not all properties
are serviced with the community water/sewer system and
these properties rely on a drilled well and individual
septic system.
