Beginning in 1874, Mennonites emigrated to Canada to safeguard their way of life, which faced threats in Imperial Russia.
The second year of Mennonite immigration to Manitoba began earlier than in 1874. The first group to arrive at the confluence of the Rat and Red River, May 12, 1875, had overwintered in Ontario.
At about midnight July 31, 1874, in what would be the first large bloc settlement of Europeans in the new province of Manitoba, the first boatload of 332 Kleine Gemeinde Mennonites aboard the paddle-wheeler International of the Kittson line passed the confluence of the Red and Rat Rivers and continued to Winnipeg.
The relief felt by the first Mennonites upon arrival at the immigration sheds in August 1874 morphed into disappointment when they realized there was no reliable water supply.
Mass migration across about 20,000 kilometres of land and sea was, until the 1870s, a daunting proposition, given the time, expense and logistics involved.
The lands on which the Mennonites settled were the ancestral lands of First Nations peoples.
“Mennonite Reflections: Arriving in Manitoba 150 Years Ago” is the exhibit currently featured in the Gerhard Ens Gallery. The following is the first in a series of articles highlighting each of the seven themes presented in this exhibit.
Our tendency is to do things on our own. Independence is valued in our society. And we congratulate those who are self-sufficient and ‘masters of their own destiny’.
As we near the end of the year, it is good practice to review the activities, events and programs that Mennonite Heritage Village has experienced in the last twelve months.
The Mennonite Heritage Village is a not-for-profit organization which operates for the benefit of our community.
