The pioneers of the Hanover Steinbach area, originally known as the East Reserve, emigrated from Imperial Russia in 1874-6. One of the reasons they left was the Russification program implemented in the 1860s which threatened to take away control over the education of their children. The reason they choose Manitoba over superior settlement opportunities in the American mid-West was that they were promised the right and freedom to continue their faith and culture, and specially the right to educate their own children.

In 1916-18 these rights were withdrawn by the Manitoba Government. The response of 7,000 Mennonites, including over 1,000 from the East Reserve, was to emigrate. Between 1921-27 many of Canada’s most prosperous and progressive farmers moved to Mexico and South America where they quickly established blooming settlements. See Preservings No. 7.

Some citizens of the East Reserve endorsed the action of the Manitoba Government to abolish the Christian private schools which had operated successfully for half-a-century and applauded the forcible creation of English government schools. Others meekly obeyed. Whatever the response, no other single issue has ever had so much impact on the Hanover Steinbach area.

The articles in the feature section provide insight and understanding into the Christian private school system of the East Reserve 1874-1920 as well as the reasons for its demise during the 1920s.