Cochin

A unique feature in Cochin, and indeed in Saskatchewan, is the province's only lighthouse. Built high on a hill overlooking the village and Jackfish Lake, the lighthouse was a project initiated in 1988 by Tom Archdekin, the community's first mayor. It has a revolving beacon that can be seen for miles.
David McLennan
Resort village, located 36 km north of North Battleford on Hwy 4, on the east side of Jackfish Lake. Cochin is one of a number of resort communities that encircle Jackfish and neighbouring Murray lakes, and it is also situated in close proximity to the reserve lands of the Moosomin and Saulteaux First Nations, as well as The Battlefords Provincial Park. The area where Cochin sits today, between Jackfish and Murray lakes,  had been known as The Narrows (or Les Detroits) and was the southern terminus of what was known as the Cochin-Green Lake Trail, over which traders, missionaries, and the North-West Mounted Police travelled. The police patrolled the trail extensively during the North-West Resistance and one of the more prominent missionaries working in the region was Father Louis Cochin, an Oblate born in France, who came west in the early 1880s. Père Cochin established missions in the region to serve the Indian and Metis populations and died in the community that came to be named for him in 1927. Immigrants from France had taken up land around Jackfish Lake by 1907 and shortly before WWI stores and other businesses began to be established. The Cochin Post Office opened in 1915. During the 1920s, families from North Battleford, Wilkie, Saskatoon, and other areas began leasing land around the lakes for their summer vacations. Soon cabins began to dot the area and Cochin began to steadily develop as a summer resort destination. Also during the 1920s, commercial fishing operations began as did the development of market gardens. Businesses such as the Ternier family’s Prairie Garden Seeds, carry on the latter tradition to this day. In 1978, Cochin was established as an organized hamlet and, on January 1, 1988, the community was incorporated as a resort village. The 2001 Census recorded 136 permanent residents, however, the number has grown since. There are 550 properties in Cochin and the summer population may easily surpass 1,000, and factoring in all of the neighbouring resort areas, the district population can easily reach several thousands during the peak season. Cochin’s economy is largely based on tourism, but also benefits from the surrounding agricultural industry. Camping fishing, boating, hiking, golf, and a lighthouse are key attractions, and amenities in the village include hotel and bed and breakfast accommodations, restaurants, stores, a service station, two churches, a community hall, a fire hall, a library, campgrounds, and a public beach. Cochin is situated in the RM of Meota No. 468.

David McLennan