The New Bothwell area were originally lands of the nomadic
Ojibway-speaking
Anishinabe people. The Anishinabe people signed
Treaty 1 in 1871 and moved onto reserves such as the
Brokenhead Indian Reserve and
Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation Reserve. In 1874,
Mennonites began immigrating to the area from the
Bergthal Colony in southern Russia (now
Ukraine). Several small villages were established throughout the
East Reserve, although nearly all have disappeared. One of the original East Reserve villages was Kronsthal (generally translated as 'Crown Valley' although local historians suggest 'Crane Valley' may have been the intent), which was located on the western edge of what is now 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, and the entire village ended up moving a half mile east. Over the years, New Bothwell did eventually expand westward to encompass the former site of Kronstal. The town, however, remained under the name Kronsthal until 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, so the word "New" was added to the town name. ==Bothwell Cheese==