Nipawin, Saskatchewan
| Town of Nipawin | |
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| Town | |
NASA satellite image of Tobin Lake
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 Town of Nipawin
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| Coordinates: 53°21′26″N 104°01′09″W / 53.3572°N 104.0192°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Saskatchewan |
| Region | Saskatchewan |
| Census division | No. 14 |
| Rural Municipality | No. 487 |
| Settled | 1910 |
| Incorporated (town) | 1937 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Dave Trann |
| 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 |
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.
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.
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.
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