History

Settlers first began moving onto the land that was later to become the Rural Municipality of Roland in 1875-76. Development was slow in the beginning, with all people and supplies arriving over land from Winnipeg or other communities along the Red River. The arrival of the railroad in the late 1880's made transport cheaper and easier, and brought more people to the area. A local homesteader named Roland MacDonald purchased a quarter section of land adjacent to the railroad, and had it surveyed into lots and blocks. A small village soon formed, and when the time came to name the railway station, MacDonald's wife suggested her husband's first name. The name Roland was registered in early 1890. As the community grew through the years, the need for a local government became apparent .

In 1908, ratepayers of Stanley and Dufferin Municipalities met to establish the boundaries of the new Rural Municipality of Roland. On November 5, 1908, by an Order-in-Council, the Rural Municipality of Roland was established. The Municipality consisted of Twp 4 Range 3; Twp 4 Range 4; East 1/2 of Twp 4 Range 5; Twp 5 Range 3; Twp 5 Range 4; East 1/2 of Twp 5 Range 5. The Municipal Council was to consist of a Reeve and four Councillors. Nominations were held on December 1, 1908, in Higgins and Webster’s Hall, Roland, with elections called for December 15, 1908. Elected to office were Reeve Peter Wright, and Councillors James Hodgson, John T. Sayer, William Brown, and Albert Halstead. The Inaugural Meeting was held January 5, 1909. At the invitation of the Reeve, two ministers were present, taking part in a short service. This practice was followed at all inaugural meetings since, and only in recent years has it been discontinued. At that first meeting of Council, George Parkinson was appointed Secretary-Treasurer. In January 1910, W.G. Sotham would take on this position, retaining it until the end of 1945. Some of the first orders of business included the establishment of business licences, animal controls, and a water supply for the Village of Roland, in the form of a well. Council meetings were held in the Higgins and Webster Building, later known as the Parkinson Building, to which the Municipal Office was attached. It wasn’t until 1952 that the Council of the R.M. of Roland had a “Home” of their own – the meeting of February 5th, 1952, was the first to be held in the Council Chambers of the then newly-constructed Roland Memorial Hall, which was officially opened on February 17th, 1952. The present Council continue to meet in these same Council Chambers, watched over by the portraits of those individuals who have in the past taken their “Oath of Office”, committed to making the Rural Municipality of Roland a better place in which to live.