When the German colonies were established along the Volga River in the 1760s, each colony was alloted a certain amount of land. This land allotment changed little over time. During the early years, the land was periodically redistributed according to the number of men of the colony who were of a certain age. Consequently the amount of land allotted to each person decreased substantially as the colony’s population grew.
By the 1840s, this land shortage was becoming critical. Additional land was allotted by the government east of the Volga and east-southeast of the original settlements for expansion. The original colonies are often called the Mother Colonies and the new colonies became known as the Daughter Colonies. In the mid-1850s, a group of West Prussian Mennonite colonists also arrived in the Volga Region and established a group of Mennonite Colonies east of Warenburg along the Salztrakt (Salt Road).
(am Jeruslan)
(am Nachoi)