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Created with Fabric.js 1.4.5 German-Russians in Saskatchewan The German-Russians that settled in Saskatchewan during the late half of theeighteenth century had originally resided in the southwest portion of Germany, but political unrest in their own homeland caused many Germansto accept an invitation from Tasarian Catherine II to settle in Russia. The initialyears in Russia were peaceful for the German immigrants, the majority of these settlers were even able to escape cultural assimilation and maintain their ethnic identity. However this peaceful settlement in Russia began to change in the mid 1800s when Tsarian Catherine II was replaced with Tsar Alexander II. Political movements were made in order to achieve “Russification” throughout the State, Germanic schools were closed and Germans rights were largely reduced as a result of the new political policies. These factors along with the enticement of free land in Canada convinced many Germans in Russia to make a second emigration; this time to North America. German-Russians: The Initial Emigration The Immigration To North America: The majority of German-Russian immigrants to Canada first arrived in Halifax’ port before making the journey West to the prairie province, Saskatchewan. Two waves of immigration settled in Saskatchewan, the first arriving inthe 1890s directly from Russia and the second during the beginning of the 1900s, largely from the United States. Settlement Patterns: Three major German-Russian settlements were established throughoutSaskatchewan as shown in Figure 1. The first wave of immigration to the prairies settled in the area of Kronau, just southeast of present day Regina. Chain migration of this settlement occurred after Philip Weisberger originally settled the town, preceded by more immigrants on 6 June1890. Over the years many more German-Russian immigrants arrived to settle the land, typically choosing to reside next to extended family. The second settlement, southeast of Saskatoon, included the town Allan. Settlement here began in 1903 through to 1910. Unlike the settlers of Kronau, immigrants to Allan rarely emigrated directly from the old-country and were characterized as experience farmers who made the move to Saskatchewan in a deliberate attempt to expand their capital. Similarly, immigrants of the third settlement in the Tramping Lake area, just west of Saskatoon, were characterized in the sameway as they sought to expand their commercial operations. Figure 1. Source: Johnson, J. K., and Bruce G. Wilson."Historical Essays on Upper Canada New Perspectives"
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