History
Local rural government began soon after settlement, funded by a $5 per quarter section tax—half for schools, half for local improvements. The area was divided into Local Improvement Districts (LIDs), overseen by the Department of Municipal Affairs. The LID office was in Lemberg, with Mr. Willis as secretary and Mr. Matt Heil as councillor from 1907 until the municipality formed in 1913.
The first McLeod Municipal Council met on January 31, 1913, in Neudorf. Mr. M. Heil became the first Reeve, with W. Browne and P. Hupp as councillors for Divisions One and Four. G.F. Wanless served briefly as secretary-treasurer before George Vanderbush took over in 1914 for $535/year.
Early on, road maintenance was encouraged with prizes. In 1914, McLeod won $200 for best road in the Melville constituency and $400 for best in the province. Since then, the area has transformed, with farmland replacing prairie and bush, and a road network built to serve residents.
Leadership & Governance
Rural municipality first council 1913:
Reeve
Mathias Heil, Lemberg
Council
Conrad Kletchko, Neudorf
Division 1
W.E. Bourne, Neudorf
Division 2
H. J. Jamieson, Lemberg
Division 3
Philip Hauser, Neudorf
Division 4
Philip Hupp, Neudorf
Division 5
Joseph G. Slater, Lemberg
Division 6
Past Reeves
1913-1916 Matt Heil
1916-1934 J. J. Niebergall
1935-1939 George Heuchert
1940 Jacob ?
1941 George Heuchert
1942-1945 W. R. Boyle
1946-1948 P. Stein
1949-1953 R. A. Acton
1954-1958 Fred Sens
1958-1966 Gottlieb Weger
1967-1968 J. M. Mann
1969-1972 Gottlieb Weger
1973-1980 Ernest J. Adolph
1981-1998 Howard D. Mercer
1999-2016 Wilf G. Goebel
2016-2024 Cliff Allen
Secretary Treasurers of the RM of McLeod #185
1905-1906 J. W. Redgewick
1910-1914 Geo. Wanless
1915-1941 Geo Vanderburgh
1941-1942 C. H. Carroll
1942-1947 John B. Lukan
1947-1957 Charles Wayling
1957-1959 Mickey Boyle
1960-1963 Dale Leflar
1963-1968 Ed Greeve
1968-1976 George Pedley
1976-2017 Murray J. Hanowski
2018 – 2021 Tara Harris
Area Attractions
The RM of McLeod is rich with Municipal Heritage Properties. To visit local sites, please see the Heritage Saskatchewan website for more details.
Pheasant Forks Heritage Site
Pheasant Forks Heritage Site is located in the RM of McLeod, about 9 km north of Lemberg. The site includes a one-and-a-half storey brick school built in 1920 and a church built in 1905 by Primitive Methodist colonists. Originally called Zion Methodist or Pheasant Forks Church, it was active until 1963.
The Motherwell Homestead
The Motherwell Homestead, a National Historic Site near Abernethy, Saskatchewan, commemorates William Richard Motherwell, Saskatchewan’s first minister of agriculture and federal minister of agriculture for the Mackenzie King government. The 3.59-hectare site features Lanark Place, a fieldstone house modeled after Ontario farmsteads, along with agricultural buildings, fields, fences, and shelter belts.
Motherwell Barn
The 1907 Motherwell Barn and restored buildings offer a glimpse into early 20th-century farm life. Staff in period clothing, along with livestock like hogs, cows, and chickens, bring the site to life from May 21 to September 1. A restaurant and gift shop are run by the Friends of the Motherwell Homestead.
Weissenberg School
Built in 1900, Weissenberg School was Saskatchewan’s first Catholic public (separate) school, operating until 1964. Originally called Weissenberg Roman Catholic Public School, it later became the Weissenberg Teacherage. Now a Municipal Heritage Property, it sits less than 1 km east of Lemberg and features a one-storey fieldstone building with a wooden porch.
Zion Lutheran Church
Zion Lutheran Church is located about 3 km southwest of Neudorf in the RM of McLeod. Built in 1896, the wood-frame church was active until June 1964, with annual historical services held each June. The site also includes a 1900 schoolhouse and a cairn.