Country Canada Rural Municipality Hanover Time zone CST (UTC-6) Local time Saturday 12:37 AM | Region Eastman Established 1874 Postal Code R0A 1C0 Province Manitoba | |
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Weather -1°C, Wind E at 5 km/h, 81% Humidity | ||
New Bothwell is a community in the Rural Municipality of Hanover, Manitoba, Canada. It is located approximately 15 kilometers northwest of Steinbach on Provincial Road 216, one kilometer south of Provincial Road 311 and six kilometers north of Highway 52. It has a population of approximately 500.
Contents
Map of New Bothwell, MB, Canada
New Bothwell is serviced by a post office, a restaurant/convenience store, recreation center, an elementary/junior high school, a volunteer fire department, and two nearby churches. The local Chamber of Commerce and the local recreation committee organize community events such as an annual fall dinner, the winter carnival, and the summer fair.
Bothwell Cheese
New Bothwell is home to award-winning cheese producer Bothwell Cheese. Established in 1936, Bothwell Cheese was originally a co-operative owned by the local dairy producers. Over the years, Bothwell Cheese has earned a solid reputation as a world-class cheese maker, producing over 25 varieties of cheese, and made the community known for its cheese.
History
The New Bothwell area was settled by Mennonites who immigrated from Russia in the 1870s. Several small villages were established throughout the area, although nearly all have disappeared. One of the original villages was Kronsthal (generally translated as "Crown Valley" although local historians suggest "Crane Valley" may have been the intent), which was located on the western edge of what is now New Bothwell. It consisted of a few farms and a private school, among other things.
The first public school districts in the area - Arran, Moray, Seaton, and Bothwell - were created in 1919. The Bothwell School was located a half mile east of Kronsthal. Not long after the school was opened, businesses (such as the cheese factory in 1936) and families began to locate themselves near the school, and the entire village ended up moving a half mile east. Since then, New Bothwell has expanded westward to encompass the former Kronstal site.
Kronsthal officially became "New Bothwell" in 1939, when the post office was established. "Bothwell" had been the first choice to register as the community's official name, as it was the name of the public school. However, this name was already registered in Ontario.
By the 1960s, New Bothwell remained as the only village in the surrounding area. The old school districts that served the area were eliminated and replaced with a new government run school at New Bothwell, part of the new Hanover School Division. Although no longer in existence, the old villages and school districts are still referred to by those who remember them.
In the 1990s, the Rural Municipality of Hanover established a fire station at New Bothwell that services much of the northeastern portion of municipality.