Business View Civil and Municipal | April 2021

94 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL ARIL 2021 Today’s RM is a little larger than the area set aside as a Mennonite reserve in 1873, referred to as the East Reserve. In 1880 it was named Hespeler, after the man who brought the first settlers to the area in 1873. On May 25, 1881, the municipality of Hanover was created and the east reserve was separated into two municipalities. In 1890 the municipalities of Hespeler and Hanover were amalgamated into the RM of Hanover. The area was settled mostly by families from Western and Eastern Europe and the RM continues to draw people from those countries today. In the early years, over 50 communities were established but many did not last long. Much of the land in Hanover was not ideal for grain farming. The area had coarse textured soil and was largely wooded. It also had drainage problems. Although some grain farming was possible, the topographic challenges had a positive side effect and led to what is now Since the early beginnings, Penn-co Construction has been a leader in the Manitoba construction industry, equipping our team of skilled professionals with the vision, guidance and tools required to bring construction projects to life. penn-co.com