NIPAWIN — Nipawin will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2025, a century after it was incorporated as a municipality.
The decision to move the celebration up a year was made at the Jan. 22 council meeting. It will be held the weekend prior to the Nipawin Exhibition fair.
There were two possible dates to mark the anniversary: from 1924, when residents moved to the current location, or from 1925, when Nipawin officially became a village.
"The Town of Nipawin has a very unique history," Director of Leisure Services Manager Chelsea Corrigan’s said in her report to council. “From moving settlements from one location to another, to fighting a bear in a ring during celebrations, to the first settlement erroneously being named 'Old Nipawin', the history books are filled with information from Nipawin’s past.”
Corrigan said in the report, “Nipawin was incorporated as a village on May 7, 1925 with the first village election on June 2, 1925. Nipawin was then incorporated to town status on May 1, 1937.”
Nipawin held the 50th birthday celebration in 1974, then held the 60th birthday celebration in 1985. Nipawin Founders Day celebrating 75 years was held in March 2000.
"Holding the 100th birthday in 2025 is consistent with the incorporation in 1925," Corrigan said,
In the report, “In October and November of 1924, the citizens of Ravine Bank, now known erroneously as 'Old Nipawin', started their move into Nipawin to go to the railway. At this time, Charlie Scott and crew using horse-drawn rigs moved 40 commercial and residential buildings and seven outdoor biffies four miles northeast to the new townsite that was owned by CPR.
Administration has been researching Nipawin’s history and significant dates. Oren Robison provided an abundance of history and knowledge from articles he wrote as well as historical information from pioneer businessmen like Mr. Robert Lawrence.
