Nipawin

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Town of Nipawin
Town
NASA satellite image of Tobin Lake
NASA satellite image of Tobin Lake
Town of Nipawin is located in Saskatchewan
Town of Nipawin
Town of Nipawin
Location of Nipawin in Saskatchewan
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country Canada
Province Saskatchewan
Region Saskatchewan
Census division No. 14
Rural Municipality No. 487
Settled 1910
Incorporated (town) 1937
Government
 • Mayor Dave Trann[1]
Area
 • Total 8.71 km2 (3.36 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Total 4,265
 • Density 489.4/km2 (1,268/sq mi)
Time zone CST
Postal code S0E 1E0
Area code(s) 306
Waterways Saskatchewan River
Website Town of Nipawin
[2][3]
Francois Finlay dam and SaskPower Nipawin Hydroelectric Station

Nipawin is a town located in north-east Saskatchewan, Canada, on the Saskatchewan River portion of Tobin Lake. The town lies between Codette Lake, created by the Francois-Finlay Dam (built in 1986) and Tobin Lake, created by the E.B. Campbell Dam built in 1963, renamed from Squaw Rapids. The construction of Francois-Finlay Dam earned Nipawin the nickname, 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 latter across the Saskatchewan River).

Highway 35 and Highway 55 intersect in Nipawin. The Nipawin Airport and the Nipawin Water Aerodrome also serve the community.

Nipawin is a Cree 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 women and children would camp and wait for the men to arrive.[citation needed]

History

The first permanent settlement of Nipawin occurred in 1910 with the establishment of a trading post. In 1924 the Canadian Pacific Railway passed nearby over the Crooked Bridge, and the settlement was moved, building by building, to its current location to be closer to the railway.[4][5]

Fur trade

There were a number of fur trading posts in the area, but they are poorly documented.[6] In 1763 Joseph Smith reached the area from York Factory. 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. In 1795 there were two posts, one run by A. N McLeod for the North West Company 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.[7]

Demographics

While English is spoken by all residents over 10% of the population also speak a second language with Cree, German, Ukrainian, French, Tagalog, Spanish, Afrikaans, Dutch, Chinese, Korean, Inuktitut, Albanian, Bantu languages, Bosnian, Greek, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian and Mandarin represented.

The Nipawin Population Centre, the 19th largest in Saskatchewan, had a population of 4,330 in 2011.

Climate

Economy

Nipawin is near the Fort à la Corne Provincial Forest, location of the world's largest diamond bearing kimberlites and intensive diamond exploration activity. Other industries in the area include: agriculture, tourism, canola oil processing, honey production, candle manufacturing, 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 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, 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 also home to golf pro Tyler Baker.
  • Nipawin is located along the Trans-Canada Snowmobile Trail. There are many other groomed trails that run around Nipawin along with snowmobile rallies.

Sports

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 with 48 students.

Notable residents

References

  1. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. Arthur Morton,"A History of Western Canada",circa 1936
  7. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.