The vast prairie grasslands, cut through by the Little Bow River, provided ideal country for farming and ranching.

The birth of the town was the product of the rapid settlement of the farming and ranching land in the area, and it was also fuelled by the discovery of coal.

In 1910 the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) reached the area, although it became apparent that the rails themselves would not run directly past Cleverville.

As a result, the townspeople decided to move, using horses and skids and wagons, all of the buildings of the town to a new location closer to the railway.

The Alloway and Champion Bank in Winnipeg, Manitoba built in 1905 is on the Registry of Historical Places of Canada.

The growing village required ever more services, and soon Champion was home to its first grain elevator (1912), a telephone office, a school (1913), recreational facilities, and an ever-growing number of retail shops and businesses.

Claiming that "of all the thriving towns and cities in Western Canada, destined to become the industrial centres of the future, none has established its position, or grown to such importance, in so brief a space of time, as Champion," the Board of Trade invited people to take up opportunities in, of course, grain farming, but also in poultry- and stock-raising, railway work, brick- and cement-making, and the development of the natural gas and coal resources in the area.

In addition to these, there were numerous mines dug into the river or lake beds by families who used coal to heat their homes.

Sports formed an important part of community life, particularly through the heyday of the Champion Men's baseball team throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

Recreational and cultural services in the village include the Champion Public Library, the Community Pool (outdoors), the Pioneer Club Seniors' Drop-In Centre, two baseball fields, the Champion Community Park and Campground, the Rodeo arena, the Royal Canadian Legion, and in the winter, a skating arena with natural ice.

Champion serves as a gateway to Little Bow Provincial Park, which is located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) east of the village and provides camping and many other outdoor recreational activities.