Fonds ORG - Reinland Village (Manitoba) fonds

The village of Reinland was established on the Manitoba Mennonite West Reserve in the summer of 1875 by Mennonite immigrants from the Chortitza and Fuerstenland colonies in south Russia. Since the Chortitza Colony had been the first established colony of Mennonites in Russia, its residents and residents from its daughter colony of Fuerstenland, were known as "Altkolonist" (or Old Colony people). Johann Wiebe was the first Bishop (Aeltester) and Isaak Mueller was the civic leader (Oberschultz) for the Old Colony settlers in Manitoba. The village of Reinland was one of the bigger and more important villages in the Mennonite West Reserve. One of the contributing factors to Reinland's importance was that fact that the Post Road ran through this village. (The Post Road was a road established by the Mennonites under Isaak Mueller's direction in 1878 with posts in the side of the roads to guide travelers in with harsh and snowy winters).
Many members of the village moved to Mexico in the early 1920s when they felt they could not trust the Canadian government. The houses and farms were bought by new Mennonite immigrants from the USSR.