• Home
• Community
  • Organizations
  • News & Announcements
  • Annual Events
  • Recreation & Leisure
  • Education
  • Health & Wellness
  • Religion
• Visitors
  • History
  • Tourism
  • Accommodations
  • New To Chaplin?
  • Map
  • Statistics
• Business
  • Business Directory
  • Business Opportunities
  • Looking For
  • Business Support
  • Job Opportunities
• Administration
  • Local Governments
  • Bylaws & Policies
• Directory
• Calendar
• Photo Gallery
• Contact Us

Chaplin's 100th Anniversary SUMMER 2012 Click Here to keep Up to date on the celebration plans!

     Chaplin's History begins in the mid 1800s.

     There is some dispute over the naming of the village. One version has the CPR's records showing the name coming from a Hudson's Bay factory located in the area at the time.

     However, the other version states the name of the village coming a from a Viscount Chaplin, an English statesman, who along with a friend Frederick Johnston planned a successful hunting trip to the area. Chaplin Lake and Lake Johnston were named after these two men. In 1953 the provincial government decided to change the Johnston Lake to Old Wives Lake because of the historical significance of the Indian name.
 

     Chaplin had been a coal and water point for the CPR consisting of a box car station and a section house. Because of this, Chaplin became a hub for many people in the area. The first store, livery barn and machine shed were built (later having to be moved from the CPR right of way). Thus, from the meager beginning (a squatter population of 4), Chaplin began to grow. With a population of approximately 20 in 1907, the opening of the Post Office that year signaled a permanent settlement. When a school was built the next year, more people came into the area. Over the years, churches, new businesses and schools were constructed and the town began to grow in size and population.

     Chaplin Lake was considered a detriment because of transportation problems associated with it. However, sodium sulfate from the lake became the economic engine for the village. In 1947, Saskatchewan Minerals, the Sodium Sulfate plant, was officially opened and continues to be a thriving business in the area with generations of families being employed there. Population boomed to 600 people during construction, leveled off to 400 and now sits at approximately 300. An off shoot of that industry is Artemia which utilizes the Brine shrimp and ships these tiny creatures to various locations all over the world.

     Changes over the years have improved the life of the small village. In 1912, a wooden bridge was constructed across the lake, and was the longest in Canada at that time. The TransCanada highway runs past its southern limit thus giving it quick access to road transportation. The Civic Center was officially opened in 1959 and has been improved upon over the years.

     The Swimming Pool was a centennial project. More recently, a new community hall was constructed, the ball diamonds were renovated (allowing for the continuance of a sports day tradition started in 1913) and a small 9 hole golf course was created. A seed processing plant, Mainline Pulse, was constructed to take advantage of the many specialty crops grown in the area.

     In 1998, a nature center was erected to take advantage of the fact that Chaplin Lake was declared a Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network. Many species of birds, several in huge quantities, have been observed feeding on the lake.

     Chaplin's history is a varied one and with the support of the local people, as in the past, the future may be even brighter.

(Special thanks to the Chaplin Library for providing the information on Chaplin's history)