...
Village Office is open from 10:00am - 4:00pm
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday
(306)395-2221
About Us
About Chaplin
Chaplin gets it's name from 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 also named after the two men.
Chaplin had been a coal and water point for the CPR consisting of a box car station and a section house leading Chaplin to become a hub for many people in the area. From a meager beginning as a squatter population of 4, Chaplin began to grow. The population grew to approximately 20 in 1907 and with the opening of the Post Office that year it became a permanent settlement. A school was built the following year attracting even more people to the area. Over the years churches, new businesses, and schools were constructed as well. Chaplin was incorporated as a village in 1912.
Sodium Sulfate Plant
Initially established as a crown corporation by the Province of Saskatchewan, the Chaplin plant began operating in 1948. The Chaplin Lake deposit is in thinly bedded layers covering some eighteen square miles. Sodium sulphate is used primarily in powder laundry and dishwasher detergents, carpet deodorizers, modified corn starches, textile dying, glass making, kraft paper, and mineral feeds for livestock. The product is shipped via railway hopper cars and trucks to customers throughout Canada and the USA. https://www.saskatchewanminingandminerals.com/
Lakes
In 1953 the provincial government decided to change Lake Johnston to Old Wives Lake because of the historical significance of the Indian name. Chaplin Lake was considered a detriment because of transportation problems associated with it. In 1912, a wooden bridge was constructed across the lake, the longest in Canada at that time. The lake that was once considered a detriment became the economic engine for the village when the sodium sulfate began to be extracted from it.
Village Council & Staff
Mayor - Milt Hallborg
Councillors
Terry Gabel
Alison Mandel
Mike Schmitz
Brent Silvester
CAO - Raegan Minifie
Assistant - Tina Brady
Foreman - John Morgan