View source for Rhineland Rural Municipality (Manitoba, Canada)

Rural Municipality (RM) of Rhineland was established in 1884 as a local government unit by the [[Manitoba (Canada)|Manitoba]] government. First called Douglas, it was renamed Rhineland in 1891 at the request of its citizens. It covers an area of 18 townships, a block roughly 18 x 18 miles, 369.388 sq. miles (923.47 sq. km.), or 230,400 acres, extending north from the United States border just west of the Red River. It includes the towns of [[Altona (Manitoba, Canada)|Altona]], [[Gretna (Manitoba, Canada)|Gretna]], and [[Plum Coulee (Manitoba, Canada)|Plum Coulee]], and over a dozen villages, including Horndean, Rosenfeld, Sommerfeld and Halbstadt. Altona is the civic and business capital of the area. Its area is almost identical with the original [[West Reserve (Manitoba, Canada)|West Reserve ]]grant. In 1949 it had a population of 8,000, and in 1959 some 6,500, then being the most densely populated rural district in Manitoba. It is a prosperous rural area with almost 100 per cent of its land under cultivation. In the late 1950s it had probably the largest concentration of Mennonite population in compact block in [[North America|North America]], with very little admixture of population of non-Mennonite stock. The reeves, secretary-treasurers, and members of the Municipal Council have almost always been exclusively Mennonite. H. T. Hamm of Altona served as secretary-treasurer 1913-43. The largest body of Mennonites in the area is the [[Bergthal Mennonites|Bergthal Mennonite Church]]. The former [[Sommerfeld Mennonites|Sommerfeld]] and [[Old Colony Mennonites|Old Colony]] group were largely replaced by newer immigrants from [[Russia|Russia]] in 1922-1926. The [[Rudnerweide Sommerfeld Mennonite Church (Rudnerweide, Manitoba, Canada)|Rudnerweide]] group had its origin here and has most of its members in the municipality.

In 2006 the Rhineland RM had a population of 4,125, not including the 5,053 residents of the incorporated towns within the rural municipality: Altona (3,709); Gretna (574); and Plum Coulee (770).
= Bibliography =
Francis, E. K. <em>In Search of Utopia</em>. Altona: D. W. Friesen, 1955.

Hamm, H. H. <em>Sixty Years of Progress, 1884-1944, Diamond Jubilee, The Rural Municipality of Rhineland</em>. (no place of publication indicated, no date of publication indicated), Altona, 1944.

<em>Manitoba Community Profiles</em>. Government of Manitoba.  [http://www.communityprofiles.mb.ca/index.html http://www.communityprofiles.mb.ca/index.html] (accessed 29 January 2009).
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