Nipawin () is a town in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

, Canada, on the

Saskatchewan River The Saskatchewan River (Cree: ''kisiskāciwani-sīpiy'', "swift flowing river") is a major river in Canada. It stretches about from where it is formed by the joining together of the North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan Rivers to Lake Winn ...

portion of

Tobin Lake Tobin Lake is a reservoir along the course of the Saskatchewan River in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Tobin Lake was formed by the building of the E.B. Campbell Dam on the Saskatchewan River in 1963. The dam was originally named '' ...

. The town lies between Codette Lake, created by the Francois-Finlay Dam (built in 1986) and

, created by the E.B. Campbell Dam built in 1963, renamed from Squaw Rapids. The construction of Francois-Finlay Dam earned Nipawin the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

the "Town of Two Lakes". Nipawin is bordered by the Rural Municipality of Nipawin No. 487 and the

Rural Municipality of Torch River No. 488 The Rural Municipality of Torch River No. 488 (Canada 2016 Census, 2016 population: ) is a List of rural municipalities in Saskatchewan, rural municipality (RM) in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan withi ...

(the latter across the Saskatchewan River).

Highway 35 The following highways are numbered 35: International * European route E35 Canada * Alberta Highway 35 * British Columbia Highway 35 * Ontario Highway 35 * Quebec Autoroute 35 *Saskatchewan Highway 35 China * G35 Expressway Costa Rica * ...

and

Highway 55 The following highways are numbered 55: International * European route E55 * Arab Mashreq route M55 Argentina * San Luis Provincial Route 55 Australia * Carnarvon Highway * Castlereagh Highway * Karoonda Highway Belgium * N55 road (Belgiu ...

intersect in Nipawin. The

Nipawin Airport Nipawin Airport is located south of Nipawin, Saskatchewan, Canada. See also * Nipawin Water Aerodrome * List of airports in Saskatchewan References External linksNipawin Municipal Airporton COPA Copa or COPA may refer to: COPA COPA ...

and the

Nipawin Water Aerodrome Nipawin Water Aerodrome is located north of Nipawin, Saskatchewan, Canada. See also * Nipawin Airport * List of airports in Saskatchewan * List of defunct airports in Canada This is an alphabetical list of abandoned airports in Canada th ...

also serve the community. Nipawin is a

Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...

word meaning "a bed, or resting place" which referred to a low-lying area along the river now flooded by Codette Lake where

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

women and children would camp and wait for the men to arrive.

History

The first permanent settlement of Nipawin occurred in 1910 with the establishment of a trading post. In 1924 the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

passed nearby over the

Crooked Bridge The Old Nipawin Bridge is a railway bridge that spans the Saskatchewan River just north of Nipawin, Saskatchewan. It was originally built by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The 'Old Bridge' is a double-deck bridge with the top deck carrying the Torc ...

, and the settlement was moved, building by building, to its current location to be closer to the railway.

Fur trade

There were a number of fur trading posts in the area, but they are poorly documented. In 1763

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...

reached the area from

York Factory York Factory was a settlement and Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) factory (trading post) located on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Canada, at the mouth of the Hayes River, approximately south-southeast of Churchill. Yo ...

. In 1768 James Finlay from Montreal built a post. François le Blanc, apparently the man known as "Saswe", had a post by that year or the next. In 1790 William Thorburn built here and next year moved to

Hungry Hall Hungry Hall was the name of two unrelated Canadian trading posts. 1. Saskatchewan River (NWC,1791): In 1790 William Thorburn of the North West Company built a post on the right bank of the Saskatchewan River near Nipawin, Saskatchewan to cut off th ...

. In 1795 there were two posts, one run by A. N McLeod for the

North West Company The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what is present-day Western Canada and Northwestern Ontario. With great weal ...

and another run by James Porter working for David Grant.

Recent history

On April 18, 2008, a downtown meat shop exploded, destroying three buildings as well as damaging several more. The explosion killed two and injured five. The explosion is suspected to have been caused by a backhoe that snagged and sheared a natural gas riser from the main line. The explosion prompted the implementation of a state of emergency by the mayor. The explosion received extensive national news coverage.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, Nipawin had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Climate

Nipawin Experiences a

Humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Koppen Koppen is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Dan Koppen (born 1979), American football offensive lineman * Erwin Koppen (1929–1990), German literary scholar * Luise Koppen (1855–1922), German author * Wladimir Köppen (1846� ...

: Dfb) bordering on a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

(Dfc), with long, extremely cold winters and short, warm summers. The highest temperature ever recorded in Nipawin was on 19 July 1941. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 8 January 1930.

Economy

Nipawin is near the Fort à la Corne Provincial Forest, location of the world's largest diamond bearing

kimberlite Kimberlite is an igneous rock and a rare variant of peridotite. It is most commonly known to be the main host matrix for diamonds. It is named after the town of Kimberley in South Africa, where the discovery of an diamond called the Star of ...

s and intensive diamond exploration activity. Other industries in the area include: agriculture, tourism,

canola oil Close-up of canola blooms Canola flower Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several cultivars of the plant family Brassicaceae. Historically, i ...

processing, honey production, forestry, and commercialization of second-generation biofuels.

Attractions

This resort community has become a destination for fishing, camping, boating, golfing, hunting and outdoor recreation. *Nipawin hosts several annual fishing events, including, the Great

Northern Pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus '' Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a ...

Festival, a summer-long event offering prizes for catching tagged fish. Other annual fishing events are the Codette Walleye tournament, Ladies Fish for Freedom tournament, Premier's Walleye Cup tournament, and the Vanity Cup Walleye tournament running the last weekend in September and the first week in October. *The name Nipawin was also given to

Nipawin Regional Park The Rural Municipality of Nipawin No. 487 (Canada 2016 Census, 2016 population: ) is a List of rural municipalities in Saskatchewan, rural municipality (RM) in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan within D ...

, a large recreational area a few kilometres northwest of the town. *Nipawin is also home to a beautifully landscaped 18-hole golf course. It has been rated as one of the top 100 public courses in Canada and one of the top five in Saskatchewan. Annual events held at the Evergreen Golf Club are Bob Dow Memorial Golf Tournament and the Evergreen Classic Golf Tournament along with many other tournaments throughout the golf season. *Nipawin is located along the Trans-Canada Snowmobile Trail. There are many other groomed trails that run around Nipawin along with snowmobile rallies.

Sports

*Curling is also found in Nipawin for the young and old. Nipawin hosts the Ladies, Men's and Seniors Bonspiels and the Evergreen Curling Classic. *The town is home to the

Nipawin Hawks The Nipawin Hawks are a Canadian junior "A" team based in Nipawin, Saskatchewan. They are members of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). They play their home games at the Centennial Arena, which has a seating capacity of 1,500. The t ...

of the

Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Open to North American-born players 20 years of ...

Education

Nipawin has three public schools: Central Park Elementary School, Wagner Elementary School, and L.P. Miller Comprehensive School. The town is home to the Nipawin Campus of Cumberland College with 360 students and

Nipawin Bible College Nipawin Bible College is an evangelical interdenominational training school on a site just south of Nipawin, Saskatchewan. The college is affiliated with the Canadian Council of Christian Charities, the Saskatchewan Association of Theological C ...

with 48 students.

Notable residents

Sharon Butala Sharon Butala (born Sharon Annette LeBlanc, 1940 in Nipawin, Saskatchewan) is a Canadians, Canadian writer and novelist. Life Butala was born in an outpost hospital in Nipawin, Saskatchewan. She was the second of five daughters born to Amy Graham ...

, novelist *

Dane Byers Dane Byers (born February 21, 1986) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player. He last played for and captained Manchester Storm of the UK's EIHL. He was originally drafted by the New York Rangers 48th overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draf ...

, NHL hockey player * Lyndon Byers, retired NHL player for the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

Greg Classen Gregory Classen (born August 24, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. Playing career Classen played four seasons of junior hockey for the Nipawin Hawks of the SJHL. He then went on to play two seasons of hockey at Merrima ...

, retired hockey player who played 82 games in the NHL for the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...

* James Archibald Kiteley, provincial politician *

Arthur McKay Arthur Fortescue McKay, best known as Art McKay (September 11, 1926 – August 3, 2000) was a Canadian painter and a member of The Regina Five. Many of his works are modernist abstractions. Early life and education McKay was born in Nipawin, ...

, painter and professor *

Dave Pagan David Percy Pagan (born September 15, 1949) is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of five seasons in Major League Baseball from 1973 until 1977, and was a member of the Seattle Mariners' 1977 inaugural season roster. ...

, professional baseball pitcher

References

External links

* {{Coord, 53, 21, 26, N, 104, 01, 09, W, region:CA_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Towns in Saskatchewan Hudson's Bay Company trading posts Pedlars (fur trade) Populated places established in 1910 1910 establishments in Saskatchewan Division No. 14, Saskatchewan Populated places on the Saskatchewan River