For those versed in the history of the East Reserve, mentioning New Bothwell along with early Mennonite settlements will raise some eyebrows, as the town wasn’t established until after the building of the public school in the 1920s.
Grünthal was not initially settled in 1874, and the 6 sq mile township section of 5-5E centred around Grünthal was largely unsettled until 1875 or ’76.
Niverville is one of the few communities in the East Reserve that is not originally a Mennonite community, nor does it derive its name from Mennonite sources.
The modern town of Kleefeld, the “Land of Milk and Honey,” has a storied past and holds the distinction of being the first Mennonite village established in Western Canada.
The Mennonite Heritage Village is a museum set out to preserve and tell the stories of Mennonite migrants to Manitoba from the areas of Imperial Russia in what is now Ukraine, and this includes both the East and West reserves.
With summer coming to an end, we have wrapped up the exploration of the first 18 families that settled Steinbach in 1874.
This week we are winding up the exploration of the first families of Steinbach. This series has looked at the 18 families that settled on the 20 Wirtschaft that comprised the original town of Steinbach along what is today Elmdale Street.
In 1855, at the age of 15, Cornelius Fast was left with the responsibility of taking care of his widowed mother and younger siblings.
Wirtschaft 18 was left unoccupied for the first year of settlement, as Gerhard Warkentin arrived much later than the other Steinbach settlers.
Heinrich R. Brandt had an interesting youth, beginning with his unique birth.
