View source for Stand-Off Hutterite Colony (Macleod, Alberta, Canada)

Stand-Off Colony, near Macleod in southern [[Alberta (Canada)|Alberta]], a [[Bruderhof|Bruderhof]] of the [[Hutterian Brethren (Hutterische Brüder)|Hutterite]] kinship group known as [[Dariusleut|Dariusleut]], was founded in 1918 as the first Hutterite colony in Alberta and in [[Canada|Canada]], the land having been bought on 12 May 1918. It was a transfer of the Spink County ([[South Dakota (USA)|South Dakota]]) Bruderhof which had been founded in 1905 from the [[Wolf Creek Hutterite Colony (Hutchinson County, South Dakota, USA)|Wolf Creek]] (South Dakota) Bruderhof. Its founder was the noted Elder [[Walter, Elias, Jr. (1862-1938)|Elias Walter, Jr.]], who had been chosen elder (and thus head of the Dariusleut) in 1903 at Wolf Creek Bruderhof, a post which he held till his death on 1 January 1938. Walter's unusual historical sense and great energy led him to edit or sponsor several publications, a number of which after 1923 bore the publication place "Stand-Off Colony bei Macleod Alberta." The first to carry this legend was [[Wolkan, Rudolf (1860-1927)|Rudolf Wolkan]]'s edition of the <em>Geschicht-Buch</em>, printed at [[Vienna (Austria)|Vienna]] in 1923. The first edition of the small hymnal (<em>Gesangbüchlein</em>) compiled by Walter was published at [[Scottdale (Pennsylvania, USA)|Scottdale, Pennsylvania]], but the second (1930) was published at Stand-Off Colony. Stand-Off Colony operated a bookbindery on behalf of all the colonies, hence was a logical place of publication in addition to the fact that it was the residence of the head of the Dariusleut. It was to the Stand-Off Colony also that [[Arnold, Eberhard (1883-1935)|Eberhard Arnold]], the founder of the New Hutterites (Society of Brethren), came from the Rhönbruderhof in [[Germany|Germany]] in 1930 to be ordained as a Hutterite minister by Elias Walter. Two daughter colonies have been established by Stand-Off, [[Granum Hutterite Colony (Granum, Alberta, Canada)|Granum]] (Alberta) in 1929, and Riverside (Alberta) in 1939. Elias Walter, Jr., was elected elder of the Dariusleut at Stand-Off in 1928, which office he filled until his death there in 1938. His son Jacob Walter, who follows in his grandfather's steps in historical interest, was elected preacher in 1939 and has since then been the leader of the Bruderhof. In 1958 the population was 88.
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