New Bothwell, Manitoba

New Bothwell is a community in the Canadian province of Manitoba, 49°35′26″N 96°53′25″W / 49.59056°N 96.89028°W / 49.59056; -96.89028, located about 15 km northwest of Steinbach on Highway #216, in the rural municipality of Hanover. In 2001 it had a population of about 530.^{[citation needed]}

New Bothwell is serviced by a post office, a restaurant/gas bar, recreation center (including a skating rink, baseball diamonds, picnic shelter, and main hall), an elementary/junior high school, and two nearby churches. The chamber of commerce consists of local entrepreneurs and together with the local recreation committee, organizes communities events such as the 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 a co-operative owned by the local diary producers. Over the years Bothwell Cheese has earned a solid reputation producing over 30 varieties of cheese. New Bothwell is well-known throughout the region 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 about a half mile west of the current location of 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. In effect, the entire community ended up moving a half mile east.

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. Nearly all of the businesses were now located in New Bothwell, as well as the post office. 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 new volunteer fire department in New Bothwell. The fire department is responsible for the New Bothwell area, as well much of the northeastern portion of municipality.

Notable people from New Bothwell

• Joe Doerksen, mixed-martial artist for the UFC

References

Heritage Collections: History of New Bothwell and District (1994), ISBN 1-55099-045-4

External links

• Silberfeld Mennonite Church Office Website