The Rural Municipality of Mankota No. 45 is located in the Great Plains of southwest Saskatchewan along the Canada-US border. The RM encompasses 1,696.35 km2 (654.96 mi2) of expansive rural tracts incorporating a mix of seeded crop land, native grasslands, and scenic southern prairie landscapes including the Wood Mountain uplands. The RM is also located almost directly between the East and West Blocks of the magnificent Grasslands National Park, with small segments of each contained within the RM’s eastern and western boundaries.

The RM shares its southern boundary with the United States border and is otherwise bordered to the west by the RMs of Val Marie No. 17 and Glen McPherson No. 46, to the north by the RMs of Auvergne No. 76, Pinto Creek No. 75, and Wood River No. 74, and to the east by the RM of Waverley No. 44. Located in the north-central region of the RM is the Village of Mankota (the Village), a separate municipality with its own Council, which has a population of 198 according to the 2021 Census. The closest large urban centre to the RM is the City of Swift Current, which is approximately 150 km northwest of the Village.

The RM’s current population of 289 people dispersed on acreages and small rural settlements, the most noteworthy being the Organized Hamlet of McCord and the unorganized hamlet of Ferland. Other smaller settlements that have mostly dissolved include Billimun, Horse Creek, McEachern, Milly, Summercove, and Wideview. There are no First Nation Reserve lands in the RM.

From the humble beginnings of early homesteaders, the RM was incorporated as a Rural Municipality in 1913. The first six bylaws were passed on June 6, 1914, acknowledging municipal policies regarding herding, enforcement of the bylaw, regulation of traction engines on bridges and culverts, cruelty to animals, fire ordinances, and the removal of dirt and stones from public roads. Agricultural and related industries began to flourish with the arrival of the railway in 1928 which connected producers with large urban markets. Despite the widespread economic struggles of the 1930s, the railway helped the RM grow it’s population steadily until reaching its peak in the late 1980s-early 1990s.