Nipawin
Nipawin () is a town in 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. 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. Fur trade. There were  a number of fur trading posts in the area, but they are poorly documented. 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. Demographics. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, 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 (Koppen: Dfb) bordering on a subarctic climate (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 kimberlites and intensive diamond exploration activity. Other industries in the area include: agriculture, tourism, canola oil 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. 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.