Kipling, Saskatchewan

Kipling is a town in southeast Saskatchewan, Canada.

Town of Kipling Local Administration

Town council members:
* Mayor Kevin Hassler
* Alderman Maurice Poirier, employee of Precision Drilling, elected in 2003
* Alderman Kevin Kish, employee of Martin's Auto Body, first elected in 1999 by-election
* Alderman Mark Olson, owner and manager of McMillan Motor Products, first elected in 2003
* Alderman Gerald Krescy, retired business owner, elected for a second time in 2002 by-election
* Alderman Duane Leicht, an employee of Sask Power, elected in 2002 by-election
* Alderman Darren Szakacs, employee of the Kipling Coop, first elected in 2002 by-election

The town's Member of the Provincial Legislature is Don Toth of Moosomin.

History of Kipling

Origin of Kipling's name

The town was named after author Rudyard Kipling, who had made several visits to Canada. In 1889, whilst crossing North America en route from India, he paid a visit to Vancouver; he travelled by train through Winnipeg during his honeymoon in 1892; and he crossed the whole country in a private Pullman in 1907. During the latter visit he delivered a great many speeches, and was received with adulation, particularly at McGill University in Montreal.

During one of Kipling's voyages across Canada he passed through the town of Broadview, which is located north of Kipling. His passing through this town led to Kipling receiving its name.

Today, portraits of Rudyard Kipling can be found on buildings throughout the town. Rudyard Manor, a home for senior citizens, has also has been named after him.

Development

On many early maps, Kipling bears the name "Kipling Station"; it was a divisional point on the Canadian National Railway line, and the community grew in a more substantial way after the arrival of the railway in 1907-08. The main initial settlement in the Kipling area had taken place in the 1890s and the first two decades of the twentieth century. One of Canada's largest Hungarian settlements formed in the Bekevar District. The central point of that community was the Bekevar church, the architectural design of which was inspired by the Great Church in Debrecen, Hungary; this church, constructed in 1911-12, still stands, and has been designated a Municipal Heritage Property. The first residents settled in the Bekevar district in 1900. In other districts around Kipling, settlers from various European countries made their homes. There was a very sizable German-speaking community (mainly consisting of families who had come from the Russian Empire, and who named their district "Edenland"); in other districts the most significant ethnic groups were the Scandinavians (concentrated around the Neelby School District) and the British.

In the past decades, many Saskatchewan towns and villages have shrunk or disappeared, but Kipling has defied this pattern, although it did suffer a considerable decline during the 1930s. While the number of rural residents in the surrounding districts has dropped very noticeably, the population of the town itself has now gradually increased, and is served by a substantial number of vibrant business enterprises. Kipling attained the status of a town on January 1, 1954, and serves a large trading area.

A very significant development related to the livestock industry has been the creation of several large hog operations in recent years, and Kipling has become the headquarters for one of the world’s leading companies which is conducting research on swine genetics.

Kipling sites which can be classed as 'heritage properties' include the former CN station, built in 1908–09, and the Kingsley rural municipality office, built in 1919. In addition, a major and highly interesting group of pioneer-era buildings can be viewed on the spacious sites belonging to the Kipling and District Historical Society Museum.

The Schneeberger Case

The town first made international headlines in 1999, when town physician Dr. John Schneeberger, a South African immigrant pled guilty on two counts of sexual assault and one of obstructing justice after one of his patients came forward, claiming that he had drugged her and proceeded to rape her while she was in a disoriented state. The original case was dropped for lack of evidence. A second victim later came forward, forcing the case to be re-opened. This time around, Schneeberger admitted that he had injected a tube of another person's blood sample into his arm in order to deceive the authorities. He was deported from Canada in 2003. [ [http://www.hbo.com/autopsy/episode/episode_7_the_good_doctor.html HBO: Autopsy: Episode Guide: The Good Doctor : Episode 07 ] ] [ [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/1999/11/26/saskdr991126.html Sask. doctor sentenced for rape ] ] [http://members.shaw.ca/pdg/schneeberger_john.html]

One red paperclip

On 12 July 2006, Kyle MacDonald made his final trade with the town of Kipling, Saskatchewan after a successful series of trades from one red paperclip. The house is located on 503 Main Street. Kyle bartered the right to a role in a film to be produced by Corbin Bernsen called "Donna on Demand" for his house. Kyle and his girlfriend, Dominique Dupuis moved into Kipling around Labor Day, 2006. Open auditions for the movie role were held in Kipling, with Bernsen selecting 19-year-old local resident Nolan Hubbard for the role.

Child abduction

On 1 August 2006, convicted pedophile Peter Whitmore was holed up with 14-year-old child in an abandoned farmhouse. RCMP officers and SWAT teams surrounded the farmhouse. The ten year old child had been abducted the previous week and when a local resident saw the van described on TV and radio, the resident went to inspect the car, at which time one of the abducted came running out, saying that Whitmore and the other abducted teen were inside the home. Approximately 10 hours later, Whitmore surrendered to police and the other the abducted teen was taken into police protection. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2006/08/01/boy-found.html Police negotiating with suspect after missing boy found] , from CBC News article on August 1, 2006, last accessed June 8, 2007.] Whitmore appeared in a Regina, Saskatchewan courtroom on 3 August 2006.

References

General references:
* "The Unforgiving Minute - A Life of Rudyard Kipling" Harry Ricketts, Pimlico, 2000 ISBN 0-7126-6471-8 Verify credibility|date=July 2007
* "What was he doing out?- The Province, Page A8, Vancouver BC" Brett Popplewell, Canadian Press, August 3rd 2006

External links

* [http://www.townofkipling.ca/ Official website]
* [http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com/ One Red Paperclip Website]
* [http://www.kiplingcitizen.com/ Weekly newspaper publishing out of Kipling]
* [http://www.503mainstreet.com/ 503 Main Street Website]