Clearwater and District Chamber of Commerce has a long history of serving, not just the interests of business, but of the community as a whole.
“I think it was formed about 1958,” said Anne Krawec, a long-time member. “I know it was going strong when I got here in 1960.”
“It was started by business owners from Vavenby, Birch Island and Clearwater ... people like the Gledhills, McCracken and, I think, Glen Small.”
The organization was first known as Central North Thompson Chamber of Commerce, she recalled. Area of interest was from Roundtop to Vavenby, inclusive.
In about 1980 the name was changed to Clearwater and District Chamber of Commerce.
There also was an Upper North Thompson Chamber of Commerce that served Avola and Blue River.
“The chamber was involved in getting Hydro and telephone, and improving roads,” said Krawec. “Reg Small was very effective in getting the Yellowhead Highway completed. He was involved in a trip to Valemount done in the 1940s to publicize the route. The road just about ended in Blue River at the time but they did get through.”
Krawec recalled that many homes in the area did not have electrical service when she arrived in 1960. For the first few years they had to go to Clearwater General Store on the Flats if they wanted to use the telephone - a public box outside the store.
Tourism promotion has been a priority for a long time.
From about 1967 to roughly 1972 the chamber sold advertising and printed its own Yellowhead map. Chair of the committee was Jack Foote, who worked with Bud Blair, owner of the Sylvan Court Motel.
Long before the present Wells Gray Infocenter was built, the chamber offered tourist information from a tiny log cabin. At first it was located near the present Coldwell Banker office. Ida Dekelver and Marg Bennett kept it open during the summer months.
Later the cabin was dragged up the hill to the corner now occupied by Mark Wenzel’s Clearwater Stop hamburger stand. When this proved inadequate, Wells Gray Inn owners George and Art Marcyniuk offered the use of a room in the hotel. Vi Mayer and Barb Leweke operated a tourist information desk and gift shop there until the Infocenter opened in 1986.
With the opening of the Infocenter, the chamber moved its tourist information desk and gift shop there. Vi Mayer acted as manager for many years.
With the downloading of several functions by the provincial government, a consortium of local businesses called Information Wells Gray took over operation of the Infocenter in about 2004. The chamber continued in the building, but only with its tourist information desk. Bill Cairns has managed the desk for the past eight years.
Working with people such as John Harwood and Ken Kjenstad on the Hospital Board, the chamber played a lead role in bringing Clearwater’s first doctors to the community and getting its first hospital in the early 1970s.
First there was Dr. Regehr, who worked out of the large brown building next to the post office. After he left, Drs. Anderson, Woollard and Lam arrived. Their first clinic was located in Brookfield Mall where the video store is now. With the clinic came the first drugstore, which was operated by Mr. Maxwell and was located where the Aboriginal Sharing Center is today.
Dr. Woollard had a leadership role in the campaign to stop a uranium mine near Birch Island and the chamber was involved as well.
The chamber held its first Citizen of the Year banquet in 1960, with the award going to Frank Capostinsky. This year will be the 51st annual, and a variety of other ... of the Year awards have been added.
“There’s been a lot of change in the 51 years I’ve lived here and the chamber has been involved in a good deal of it,” said Krawec.