[1][2] Today, the former West Reserve exists in what is now the Rural Municipalities of Rhineland and Stanley, in the Pembina Valley Region.

[3] After signing Treaty 1 with the Anishinabe and Swampy Cree First Nations, the Canadian government sent William Hespeler to recruit Mennonite farmers to the region.

In 1873, Mennonite delegates from the Russian Empire (David Klassen, Jacob Peters, Heinrich Wiebe, and Cornelius Toews) visited the area and agreed to a Privilegium outlining religious freedom, military exemption, and land.

These settlers established more than 70 villages, many of which still remain today, including Altona, Neubergthal, Reinland, Sommerfeld, and many others.

[3] In 1897, the area was visited by Russian prince and anarchist Peter Kropotkin, who praised the local Mennonites for their industriousness and communal lifestyle.