Clinton, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Clinton is a community in the Canadian
province of Ontario
, located in the municipality of Central Huron
. Established in 1831, Clinton first began when Jonas Gibbings, Peter and Stephen Vanderburg cleared out a small area to start. Clinton started to grow in 1844 when William Rattenbury laid out the plans to began making a village. In 1954, Clinton's population was 2625 people. Today, it has an estimated population of 3082.
Clinton is known as Canada's home of radar
and has a huge radar antenna in the downtown due to its association with RCAF Station Clinton during World War II
. Clinton was known as The Corners or "Rattenbury Corner" in its earlier days.
It was named after Sir Henry Clinton
, who distinguished himself during the Peninsular War
.
The School on Wheels, a train that visited remote Northern Ontario
communities to educate children who would otherwise not have access to school, is permanently on display in Clinton.
Clinton was the home of the highly influential 19th century ethnologist and anthropologist Horatio Hale
, who involved himself locally in real estate development and other business and educational endeavours. Several of the streets in the centre of the town were personally named by him. Hale is interred in the municipal cemetery north of the community.
Clinton is home to three elementary schools
, Clinton Public School, St.Joseph's School, and the Clinton and District Christian School
; and to two high school
s, Central Huron Secondary School
and St. Anne's Catholic Secondary School
. Because of its centrality in the county, most students are bussed into the schools from surrounding areas.
, Highway 8
and County Road 4.
Clinton is served by the North Link scheduled bus service to Owen Sound
and London
, operated by Aboutown Transportation.
"Huron County In Pioneer Times" By Scott, James, 1954.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, located in the municipality of Central Huron
Central Huron, Ontario
Central Huron is a township in western Ontario, Canada, in Huron County. It is situated on Lake Huron between the Maitland River and the Bayfield River....
. Established in 1831, Clinton first began when Jonas Gibbings, Peter and Stephen Vanderburg cleared out a small area to start. Clinton started to grow in 1844 when William Rattenbury laid out the plans to began making a village. In 1954, Clinton's population was 2625 people. Today, it has an estimated population of 3082.
Clinton is known as Canada's home of radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
and has a huge radar antenna in the downtown due to its association with RCAF Station Clinton during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Clinton was known as The Corners or "Rattenbury Corner" in its earlier days.
It was named after Sir Henry Clinton
Henry Clinton (Napoleonic Wars)
Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Clinton, GCB, GCH was a British Army officer and a general officer during the Napoleonic Wars.He came from a family of soldiers...
, who distinguished himself during the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
.
The School on Wheels, a train that visited remote Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
communities to educate children who would otherwise not have access to school, is permanently on display in Clinton.
Clinton was the home of the highly influential 19th century ethnologist and anthropologist Horatio Hale
Horatio Hale
Horatio Emmons Hale was an American-Canadian ethnologist, philologist and businessman who studied language as a key for classifying ancient peoples and being able to trace their migrations...
, who involved himself locally in real estate development and other business and educational endeavours. Several of the streets in the centre of the town were personally named by him. Hale is interred in the municipal cemetery north of the community.
Clinton is home to three elementary schools
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
, Clinton Public School, St.Joseph's School, and the Clinton and District Christian School
Christian school
A Christian school is a school run on Christian principles or by a Christian organization.The nature of Christian schools varies enormously from country to country, according to the religious, educational, and political cultures...
; and to two high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s, Central Huron Secondary School
Central Huron Secondary School
Central Huron Secondary School is a secondary school in Clinton, Ontario. The school opened in 1926. This high school is one of two secondary schools in Clinton....
and St. Anne's Catholic Secondary School
St. Anne's Catholic Secondary School
St. Anne's Catholic Secondary School is a Catholic high school in Clinton, Ontario. It is noted for its sports teams and exceptional grades that are usually at or above the provincial expectations. It serves students from grades nine to twelve. The motto of St. Anne's is "in alis aquilae" which is...
. Because of its centrality in the county, most students are bussed into the schools from surrounding areas.
Notoriety
In 1959, the Clinton area was shocked by the murder of 12-year-old Lynne Harper. Her remains were discovered in a local woodlot near RCAF Station Clinton on June 11, 1959. A local youth, Stephen Truscott (aged 14 years at the time) was falsely convicted of the crime and sentenced to be executed. After a 48-year struggle to clear his name, Truscott was finally acquitted by the Ontario Court of Appeal on August 28, 2007.Notable persons
- Gregory GallantSeth (cartoonist)Seth is the pen name of Gregory Gallant , a Canadian comic book artist and writer. He is best known for comics such as Palookaville.Born in Clinton, Ontario, Seth attended the Ontario College of Art in Toronto...
, pen name Seth, (born 1962) comic book artist and writer - Horatio HaleHoratio HaleHoratio Emmons Hale was an American-Canadian ethnologist, philologist and businessman who studied language as a key for classifying ancient peoples and being able to trace their migrations...
(1817–1896) influential early ethnologist and anthropologist - James Mellon Menzies (1885–1957) missionary and archaeologist in China (1911–1936) noted for his pioneering study of late Shang DynastyShang DynastyThe Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty was, according to traditional sources, the second Chinese dynasty, after the Xia. They ruled in the northeastern regions of the area known as "China proper" in the Yellow River valley...
(1300-1050 B.C.) oracle bones - John MuirheadJohn MuirheadJohn Muirhead was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1922 to 1936.Muirhead was born in Clinton, Ontario, and educated at public schools...
(1877–1954) politician ManitobaManitobaManitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada - Alice MunroAlice MunroAlice Ann Munro is a Canadian short-story writer, the winner of the 2009 Man Booker International Prize for her lifetime body of work, a three-time winner of Canada's Governor General's Award for fiction, and a perennial contender for the Nobel Prize...
(born 1931) award-winning short story author and 2009 winner of the Man Booker International PrizeMan Booker International PrizeThe Man Booker International Prize is a biennial international literary award given to a living author of any nationality for a body of work published in English or generally available in English translation.... - William MustardWilliam MustardWilliam Thornton Mustard, was a Canadian physician and cardiac surgeon. In 1949, he was one of the first to perform open-heart surgery using a mechanical heart pump and biological lung on a dog at the Banting Institute...
(1914–1987) innovative cardiac surgeon - Joseph WhiteheadJoseph WhiteheadJoseph Whitehead was a Canadian railway pioneer and political figure. He represented Huron North in the 1st Canadian Parliament as a Liberal member....
(1814–1894) Canadian railway pioneer and political figure, former mayor of Clinton, area's first MP. - Ryan O'Reilly (ice hockey)Ryan O'Reilly (ice hockey)Ryan O'Reilly is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing with the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League. Ryan's older brother, Cal, plays for the Phoenix Coyotes.-Playing career:...
(born 1991) Canadian hockey player with the Colorado AvalancheColorado AvalancheThe Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...
.
Transportation
Clinton is at the junction of Highway 4Highway 4 (Ontario)
King's Highway 4, also known as Highway 4, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Originally much longer than its present length, more than half of Highway 4 was transferred to the responsibility of local governments in 1998. In its present form, it travels...
, Highway 8
Highway 8 (Ontario)
Provincial Highway 8 is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its total length is 138.5 km, though it was once much longer, running farther east from Hamilton to Niagara Falls, before the Queen Elizabeth Way replaced its role.- History :Highway 8 is one of the...
and County Road 4.
Clinton is served by the North Link scheduled bus service to Owen Sound
Owen Sound, Ontario
Owen Sound , the county seat of Grey County, is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada...
and London
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, operated by Aboutown Transportation.
External links
"Huron County In Pioneer Times" By Scott, James, 1954.