The Great Trek of the Russian Mennonites to Central Asia, 1880-1884, Fred Richard Belk, 1976

and. Knowing that the American plains were similar to the Ukraine, they brought with them various seeds. Among these was hard winter wheat, ““Turkey Red Wheat,’ which would later be of enormous significance not only for their own farming but for the whole of wheat production in the United States. As one Men- nonite explained it, It is therefore natural that the center of hard wheat production in this country should be in Kansas, since in Russia it is in the Crimea. The climate of the Russian district is a little more se- vere, which fact makes Crimean wheat all the more satisfactory in Kansas.'® The history of hard winter wheat in the United States, therefore, is closely related to the movement of Russian Mennonites to the mid- dle great plains. The first crop of Kansas hard winter wheat, for ex- ample, was grown just after the new settlers brought in the new seeds. Their deep plowing and thorough surface cultivation was a boon to dry farming in the United States.'’ Wherever they went they con- tributed to the development of the region, and in a few years thou- sands of Mennonites were prosperous farmers. '* Those Left Behind Meanwhile in Russia, the czar was greatly concerned that many of his most productive farmers had settled in the United States and Canada. The law of 1874, which made noncombatant service possible for Mennonites, had gone into effect and temporarily checked emigra- tion. Many Mennonites of military age went to work for a two-year period in the Russian crown forests, the hospitals, and the Russian Red Cross.'® However, some of the remaining Mennonites who opposed noncombatant service still sought to leave Russia. A concerned Russian government feared that there would be a general exodus, so the government invited Mennonites to settle in Siberia in the Amur Valley. Here they could retain their special privileges as foreign colonists.” But a delegation to Siberia reported that the journey was too long and difficult and there was no railroad or market for their agricultural products.?! After this discouraging report, those who opposed noncombatant service continued to look further into settlement possibilities in the United States, South Compromise or Conviction 49 America, Australia, and the newly acquired Russian province of Turkestan.” Among the approximately 36,000 Mennonites who stayed behind, the majority wanted to remain on their property, participate in alter- native service if need be, and live out their lives as Russian Menno- nites. But two small groups in Molotschna and the Trakt deviated sharply from the compliant majority. Fired by religious conviction, they decided to withdraw permanently from their present surroundings to seek a refuge in the East. From the deep reservoir of Christian theology, they took up the ancient doctrine of millennialism, which seemed to offer both a sanctuary from their present troubles and the promise of salvation for the futur