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Nipawin is a town 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.
Town of Nipawin | |
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NASA satellite image of Tobin Lake | |
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Town of Nipawin Location of Nipawin Town of Nipawin Town of Nipawin (Canada) | |
| Coordinates: 53°21′26″N 104°01′01″W / 53.35722°N 104.01694°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Saskatchewan |
| Region | Saskatchewan |
| Census division | No. 14 |
| Rural Municipality | No. 487 |
| Settled | 1910 |
| Incorporated (town) | 1937 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Rennie Harper[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 8.71 km2 (3.36 sq mi) |
| Population (2016) | |
• Total | 4,401 |
| • Density | 505.0/km2 (1,308/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−06:00 (CST) |
| Postal code | S0E 1E0 |
| Area code | 306 |
| Waterways | Saskatchewan River |
| Website | Town of Nipawin |
| [2][3] | |
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, English, Albanian, Bantu languages, Bosnian, Greek, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian and Mandarin represented.
| 2016 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,401 (+3.2% from 2011) | 4,265 (+4.6% from 2006) |
| Land area | 8.71 km2 (3.36 sq mi) | 8.71 km2 (3.36 sq mi) |
| Population density | 505.0/km2 (1,308/sq mi) | 489.4/km2 (1,268/sq mi) |
| Median age | 43.1 (M: 40.0, F: 45.5) | |
| Private dwellings | 2,042 (total) | 1,977 (total) |
| Median household income |
The Nipawin Population Centre, the 19th largest in Saskatchewan, had a population of 3,989 in 2016.
Climate
Nipawin Experiences a Humid continental climate, with long, extremely cold winters and short, warm summers. The highest temperature ever recorded in Nipawin was 42.2 °C (108 °F) on 19 July 1941.[12] The coldest temperature ever recorded was −48.3 °C (−55 °F) on 8 January 1930.[13]
| Climate data for Nipawin Airport, 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1927–present[a] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 11.1 (52.0) |
11.1 (52.0) |
16.8 (62.2) |
31.1 (88.0) |
36.7 (98.1) |
38.2 (100.8) |
42.2 (108.0) |
37.2 (99.0) |
37.2 (99.0) |
31.1 (88.0) |
17.0 (62.6) |
8.0 (46.4) |
42.2 (108.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −13.3 (8.1) |
−9.1 (15.6) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
8.5 (47.3) |
17.2 (63.0) |
21.6 (70.9) |
23.9 (75.0) |
23.7 (74.7) |
17.0 (62.6) |
8.3 (46.9) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−10.9 (12.4) |
6.8 (44.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −18.7 (−1.7) |
−14.7 (5.5) |
−7.9 (17.8) |
2.6 (36.7) |
10.1 (50.2) |
15.2 (59.4) |
17.6 (63.7) |
16.8 (62.2) |
10.6 (51.1) |
2.7 (36.9) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
−16.0 (3.2) |
0.9 (33.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −24.2 (−11.6) |
−20.3 (−4.5) |
−13.5 (7.7) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
2.9 (37.2) |
8.7 (47.7) |
11.2 (52.2) |
9.7 (49.5) |
4.2 (39.6) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−12.2 (10.0) |
−21.0 (−5.8) |
−5.1 (22.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −48.3 (−54.9) |
−45.0 (−49.0) |
−40.2 (−40.4) |
−33.6 (−28.5) |
−11.9 (10.6) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
−10.0 (14.0) |
−24.4 (−11.9) |
−37.4 (−35.3) |
−47.2 (−53.0) |
−48.3 (−54.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 15.2 (0.60) |
11.6 (0.46) |
14.8 (0.58) |
25.2 (0.99) |
43.3 (1.70) |
74.4 (2.93) |
82.7 (3.26) |
57.2 (2.25) |
40.8 (1.61) |
27.7 (1.09) |
16.1 (0.63) |
18.2 (0.72) |
427.3 (16.82) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.4 (0.02) |
0.6 (0.02) |
1.6 (0.06) |
12.7 (0.50) |
40.6 (1.60) |
74.3 (2.93) |
82.7 (3.26) |
57.2 (2.25) |
39.4 (1.55) |
14.8 (0.58) |
2.0 (0.08) |
0.5 (0.02) |
326.8 (12.87) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 22.3 (8.8) |
16.8 (6.6) |
17.1 (6.7) |
14.9 (5.9) |
2.9 (1.1) |
0.1 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.4 (0.6) |
14.9 (5.9) |
19.3 (7.6) |
24.7 (9.7) |
134.4 (52.9) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 101.1 | 128.8 | 177.8 | 233.4 | 267.2 | 282.2 | 311.8 | 281.3 | 178.0 | 136.5 | 88.3 | 80.0 | 2,266.3 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 40.1 | 46.5 | 48.5 | 55.7 | 54.4 | 55.7 | 61.2 | 61.4 | 46.6 | 41.5 | 33.9 | 33.9 | 48.3 |
| Source: Environment Canada[14][15] | |||||||||||||
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 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 of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
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
- Sharon Butala, novelist
- Dane Byers, NHL hockey player
- Lyndon Byers, retired NHL player for the Boston Bruins
- Greg Classen, Former NHL hockey player, currently under contract with Kölner Haie
- Arthur McKay, painter and professor
- Dave Pagan, professional baseball pitcher
References
- ^ Mayors Message
- ^ National Archives, Archivia Net. "Post Offices and Postmasters". Retrieved September 27, 2013.
- ^ Government of Saskatchewan, MRD Home. "Municipal Directory System". Retrieved September 27, 2013.
- ^ "Nipawin". Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. 2006. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
- ^ Nipawin Historical Society (1988), Bridging the years : Nipawin, Saskatchewan, Altona, Manitoba: Friesen Printers, ISBN 0-88925-800-7, 066533950X
- ^ Arthur Morton,"A History of Western Canada",circa 1936
- ^ "Home Explosion in Sask. town kills one, injures five". CTV.ca. April 8, 2008. Archived from the original on February 27, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
- ^ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
- ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
- ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
- ^ "July 1941". Climate Data Almanac. Environment Canada. June 26, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
- ^ "January 1930". Climate Data Almanac. Environment Canada. June 26, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
- ^ "Nipawin Airport". Canadian Climate Normals 1981−2010. Environment Canada. February 27, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
- ^ "Nipawin 2". Environment Canada. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
- ^ Climate data was recorded at Nipawin from April 1927 to March 1975 and at Nipawin Airport from August 1973 to present.
External links
- Town of Nipawin—Official Site
- Nipawin Hawks—Official Site
- Bridging the years : Nipawin, Saskatchewan (publisher Nipawin Historical Society 1988)
- The golden jubilee of the Nipawin rural municipality, no.487 : 1913-1963
- Premier's Walleye Cup—Official Site
- Barry Pearson at IMDb
- Nipawin Bible College—Official Site
- Map of Nipawin at Statcan
- Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan