Peace River, Alberta, Old Colony Mennonite settlement, located in a very fertile farming area, was started in 1932 near Carajou by several families from the Saskatoon, Saskatoon, area who moved in 1934 near Fort Vermilion, a small trading post on the banks of the Peace River, some 350 miles north of Edmonton. It expanded rapidly after 1937 and by 1948 had a population of nearly 400, of whom about one third were dissatisfied settlers from the Old Colony settlement in Mexico. The settlers live on scattered farms, not in villages nor in a compact block. The settlers are grouped in three districts - Rosenfeld, Blumenort, and Rhineland, each with a meetinghouse and preacher. The colony has continued to grow in size and in economic prosperity.

The Church of God in Christ, Mennonite, maintains a mission station about 60 miles (100 km) east of Fort Vermilion.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, pp. 130-131. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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