HistoryClinton is located 31kms from Balclutha. Initially Clinton was called Popotunoa, this name was later applied to Pomahaka Downs. Prior to the opening of the railway, the main coachline followed the Popotunoa Gorge to Mataura. This resulted in an accommodation house on the south bank of the Kuriwao Stream in 1857. A hotel, general store, post office, and a royal mail hotel soon followed. The partial completion of the main south railway line to Invercargill in 1875 brought rapid growth to Clinton as a junction for travellers. The Clinton-Balclutha line opened in 1879. Clinton bustled as a railway town. Businesses shifted to be near the railway, the local stock sales became famous, and many railway employees were based in the town. Other facilities such as an athenaeum (1884), school (1874) and separate post office were built, and many organisations and sports groups were established. The rabbit plague of the 1880s did not prevent agriculture from thriving in the area and today Clinton is the main town for the surrounding farming districts. Additionally, with many small schools having closed, Clinton Primary School continues to provide education for the wider Clinton community.