Manitoba Historical Society: Links to other history websites

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Historical Societies - Canada - Manitoba local

Carman/Dufferin Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee
This group advises the local governments of the Town of Carman and Rural Municipality of Dufferin on heritage matters.

Charleswood Historical Society
This group has a mandate on the suburb of Winnipeg formerly known as the Rural Municipality of Charleswood.

Gimli Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee
This group advises its local government, the RM of Gimli, on heritage matters and promotes the area’s heritage.

Lac du Bonnet Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee
This group advises its local government, the Town of Lac du Bonnet and RM of Lac du Bonnet, on heritage matter and promote the area’s heritage.

Winnipegosis Historical Society
The mission of the Winnipegosis Historical Society is to collect, conserve and maintain artifacts from the Village of Winnipegoisis and its surrounding rural municipalities.

Historical Societies - Canada - Provinces

British Columbia Historical Federation
Established in 1922, the British Columbia Historical Federation stimulates public interest and encourages research in British Columbia history. The Federation provides a forum to publicize successes of regional historical societies.

Yukon Historical and Museums Association
The Yukon Historical and Museums Association was formed in 1977 to serve as an umbrella organization for Yukon museums and historical societies. Since its creation, the YHMA has been cooperating with museums, governments, institutions, and the public to carry out its mandate, “to preserve, interpret and protect the Yukon’s heritage resources.”

Historical Society of Alberta
The Historical Society of Alberta, created in March 1907, is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of all of Alberta’s rich history. The Society is comprised of four associated Chapters: Central Alberta, Chinook Country, Edmonton & District, and Lethbridge, which are incorporated societies in their own right.

Saskatchewan History & Folklore Society
Since 1957, the Saskatchewan History & Folklore Society, Inc. (SHFS), has been preserving a view of Saskatchewan’s past and present lifestyle for future generations. SHFS does this through the collection of stories, poems, songs, memoirs, reminiscences, old letters and pictures.

Société historique de la Saskatchewan
Established as a non-profit organization in 1978, la Société historique de la Saskatchewan encourages the study of the history of French speaking people of Saskatchewan.

St. Vital Historical Society
This group, an affiliated society of the MHS, concerns the history of the St. Vital area of southeastern Winnipeg.

La Société historique de Saint-Boniface
La Société historique de Saint-Boniface a été fondée en 1902. Depuis ce jour, le mandat poursuivit par la SHSB est la conservation et la promotion du patrimoine, fruit de la présence des francophones dans l’Ouest canadien et en particulier au Manitoba.

Ontario Historical Society
Founded in 1888, the Ontario Historical Society is a non-profit, educational organization dedicated to increasing an appreciation of Ontario’s history and preserving its heritage for people of all ages and cultural backgrounds.

Fédération des sociétés d’histoire du Québec
La Fédération des sociétés d’histoire du Québec est un organisme sans but lucratif qui oeuvre depuis 1965 à la promotion et à la valorisation de l’histoire locale, régionale et nationale du Québec.

Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network
QAHN is an umbrella organization whose membership includes historical and cultural societies, museums, archives, research groups, and individuals who are passionate about the history of Quebec.

Newfoundland Historical Society
Founded in 1905, the Newfoundland Historical Society promotes knowledge and public discussion of the history and heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society
The Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society, founded in 1878, meets monthly to hear and to discuss individual papers about personalities, places, and events integral to the history of Nova Scotia.

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Historical Societies - USA - prairie states & others

Clay County Historical Society
CCHS was formed in 1932 to “collect, preserve and disseminate the history of Clay County, Minnesota.” Since then, they have collected tens of thousands of artifacts, photos and documents relating to the county’s past. They maintain a museum and research archives in the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead, Minnesota.

State Historical Society of Iowa
As a trustee of Iowa’s historical legacy, the State Historical Society of Iowa identifies, records, collects, preserves, manages, and provides access to the state’s historical resources.

Minnesota Historical Society
The Minnesota Historical Society is an educational and cultural institution established in 1849 to preserve and share Minnesota history. The Society collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through interactive and engaging museum exhibits, extensive libraries and collections, 25 historic sites, educational programs and book publishing.

Montana Historical Society
Created in 1865, becoming a state agency in 1891, the mandate of the Montana Historical Society includes preservation of historic resources, presentation of educational and public programs, and provision of technical assistance.

Nebraska State Historical Society
The mission of the Nebraska State Historical Society is to safeguard and interpret Nebraska’s past and make it accessible in ways that enrich present and future generations.

State Historical Society of North Dakota
The mission of the State Historical Society of North Dakota is to identify, preserve, interpret, and promote the heritage of North Dakota and its people.

South Dakota State Historical Society
The South Dakota State Historical Society, first organized as the Old Settlers Association of Dakota Territory in 1862, established its official relationship with state government in 1901 through the former Department of History.

Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society is both a state agency and a private membership organization. Founded in 1846, two years before statehood, and chartered in 1853, it is the oldest American historical society to receive continuous public funding. By statute, it is charged with collecting, advancing, and disseminating knowledge of Wisconsin and of the trans-Allegheny West.

Wyoming State Historical Society
The Wyoming State Historical Society began in 1953 and provides direction and support for historical research and preservation in Wyoming.

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Genealogy

Alberta Family Histories Society
The Alberta Family Histories Society, based in Calgary, is a non-profit organization formed in 1980 to promote and encourage family history research.

American Family Immigration History Center
This site contains information on people arriving at Ellis Island, the primary immigration port in the United States. Most of them were new immigrants arriving from countries around the world. However, vacationers and business people travelling through the USA on their way to homes in Canada and elsewhere are also sometimes listed in Ellis Island records.

Brookside Cemetery (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
Burials in the Brookside Cemetery, located in the northwest corner of the city, began in 1878. It currently contains over 95,000 plots. A transcription of people interred in Brookside is provided by the City of Winnipeg.

Canadian Virtual War Memorial
This site is maintained by Canada’s Department of Veterans Affairs. It provides information on over 116,000 Canadians and Newfoundlers who served in the nation’s military forces.

Doukhobor Genealogy Website
This site is dedicated to the reclamation, discovery, preservation, and sharing of information related to Doukhobor family history.

Eastern European Genealogical Society
This non-profit organization, formed initially in 1990 as a branch of the Manitoba Genealogical Society, provides genealogical resources for people with eastern European ancestry.

FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service (LDS Church)
This enormous site provides free genealogical data from around the world, as well as family history products and services. Transcriptions of the 1881 Canadian census are available here.

Manitoba Genealogical Society
The Manitoba Genealogical Society is a non-profit organization formed in 1976 to promote and encourage an interest in genealogy and family history in Manitoba. Its main objectives are to collect and preserve local genealogical and historical records and materials, to foster education in genealogical research through workshops and seminars, and to encourage production of genealogical materials relating especially to Manitoba.

Manitoba Vital Statistics
The Manitoba government’s amendments of the Vital Statistics Act in 2002 permitted the public release of vital statistics (births, marriages, deaths) after a period of over 70 years. The database can be queried, free of charge, at this website and certified copies can be ordered for a fee.

Miscellanea Manitobiana
This site contains genealogies and family histories of some prominent Manitobans, including politician Duff Roblin and author Rev. Charles W. Gordon (Ralph Connor).

Passages Manitoba
This site, maintained by the Winnipeg Free Press, contains the text of obituaries of people dying in Manitoba since 1999.

PeterFidler.com
This website is for descendants of explorer Peter Fidler (1769-1826), and others who may be interested in him.

Red River Valley Genealogical Society
The mandate of this genealogical society, based in the city of Fargo, covers the American states of North Dakota and Minnesota bordering the Red River, south of Manitoba.

Red River Valley History
This site is for all persons who currently live in the Red River Valley of the North, or expatriots who once lived there. Its purpose is to provide an easy way for individuals to contact one another for purposes of sharing information, whether that for genealogy (the main thrust here) or to re-establish contact with lost friends and family.

Saskatchewan Genealogical Society
The Saskatchewan Genealogical Society provides assistance to anyone researching their heritage in Saskatchewan and they promote, encourage and foster the study of genealogical and original research in the province of Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan Vital Statistics
The Saskatchewan government provides a searchable database for births that occurred in this province 100 or more years ago, deaths over 70 years ago, and marriages over 75 years ago.

Western Manitoba Genealogy Project
This site provides information on vital statistics, cemetery transcriptions, and other family history information pertinent to southwestern Manitoba.

WorldConnect Rootsweb
This site contains free genealogical information provided by people from around the world. Its ambitious goal is “to provide a resource which can connect the family trees of everyone in the world.”

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Archives

Archives of Manitoba
The Archives of Manitoba (AM; formerly the Provincial Archives of Manitoba), based in Winnipeg, preserves records from provincial and local governments, courts of law, school authorities, businesses, organizations, and individuals. It is also home to records of the Hudson’s Bay Company reflecting its operations across the northern hemisphere and around the world since its establishment in 1670.

RearViewManitoba
A collection of features on prominent Manitobans of the past, prepared by archival staff.

Manitoba Probate Wills
This online finding aid by archival staff provides the file numbers needed to locate an offline probate will for people who died in Manitoba.

Archives of Ontario
The Archives of Ontario, based in Toronto, contains records relating to public and private records of the Province of Ontario.

Association for Manitoba Archives
The AMA’s mandate is to preserve the heritage of the people and institutions of Manitoba by improving the administration, effectiveness and efficiency of the province’s archival systems. It offers education and training, advisory services, advocacy, meetings, and grant administration.

Boissevain Community Archives (Boissevain, Manitoba)
The Boissevain Community Archives, established in 1976, holds material deposited by municipalities, churches, organizations, families and individuals concerning the Boissevain, R.M. of Morton and Turtle Mountain area.

British Columbia Provincial Archives
The BC Archives contains a large collection of information of interest of Manitoba historians, including online photographs of early life and vital statistics (births, marriages, and deaths).

Canadian Archival Information Network
This site contains links to members in CAIN, a network of archives across the country that was launched in 2001 by the Canadian Council of Archives to foster access to archival holdings.

Canadiana.org (formerly Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions; CIHM)
CIHM was established in 1978 to locate early printed Canadian books, annuals, and periodicals, preserve their content on microfilm, and make the resulting Early Canadiana Research Collection available to libraries and archives in Canada and abroad.

Carberry Plains Archives (Carberry, Manitoba)
These archives were established in 1988 to preserve the history of Carberry and the Rural Municipality of North Cypress. The Archives are located in a separate room at the Carberry North Cypress Regional Library. The holdings include municipal records, including local government records, land deeds, annual reports, voters lists, minutes and financial reports, and by-laws. School records include minutes and financial reports, and photographs of schools and students. Microfilm copies of the Carberry News, Carberry Express, and Carberry News-Express newspapers are available from 1892. Historical photographs, maps, family histories, cemetery records, and video tapes record the growth of Carberry and the surrounding area.

City of Winnipeg Archives
The City of Winnipeg Archives has over 7,000 meters of material, including photographs and other records that document the functions and activities of the city and its amalgamated municipalities since 1874.

J. A. V. David Museum
The J. A. V. David Museum holds a central and integral part of the community of Killarney and the surrounding area, providing public access to records of Killarney’s history and foundation, culture, legacy, school records, cemetery, and more. The museum can be contacted at javdavidmuseum@outlook.com.

Glenbow Archives
This library and archives, based in Calgary, contains of Canada’s largest non-governmental collections of materials relating to the history of the prairies.

Hudson’s Bay Company Archives
Founded in 1670, the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) is one of the oldest, continuously-operating companies in the world. In 1994, the HBC and the Province of Manitoba entered into an agreement by which its archives were donated to the Province. These records are now part of the Archives of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

Legislative Library of Manitoba
The Legislative Library supports the conduct of public affairs and the development of a well-informed society by providing efficient, effective, and impartial access to its specialized information resources for the Legislature, government, and people of Manitoba, and ensures current and future access to Manitoba’s published heritage.

Library and Archives Canada
Located in Ottawa, Ontario, Library and Archives Canada contains an enormous collection of historical resources related to all aspects of life in Canada, including the country’s largest library. Its website provides genealogical information and a wealth of other information about the archive’s holdings.

Manitoba Archival Information Network
The Manitoba Archival Information Network (MAIN), with participants from organizations, churches, and universities around the province, is a database of descriptions of archival material held in Manitoba archives. It is a work in progress, with new descriptions being added regularly.

The Manitoba Museum
The Manitoba Museum is the province’s largest heritage center renowned for its combined human and natural heritage themes. The institution shares knowledge about Manitoba, the world and the universe through its collections, exhibitions, publications, on-site and outreach programs, planetarium shows, and science gallery exhibits.

S. J. McKee Archives, Brandon University
McKee Archives is the principal repository for archival records of Brandon University and its predecessor, Brandon College. The collection also includes records of selected university faculty and alumni, and manuscripts relating to rural development, education, agriculture, heath studies, First Nations, and the city of Brandon. Other records include those of the Manitoba Pool Elevators (now Agricore), the McKenzie Seeds Company, the Provincial Exhibition Association, and the records of the former School of Nursing at the Brandon Mental Health Centre.

Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives
The Mennonite Heritage Centre holds the records of the Mennonite Church Canada, Mennonite Central Committee, Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization, Evangelical Mennonites Mission Conference, Prussian and Russian Mennonite community documents, and the personal papers of many individuals.

Notman Photographic Archives
A large collection of photographs at the McCord Museum in Montreal contains several taken in Manitoba by the Notman Studio from the 1850s to the early 20th century.

Saskatchewan Archives Board
The Saskatchewan Archives was established in 1945 to collect and preserve materials relating to the history of Saskatchewan.

Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Winnipeg Museum & Archives
The collection contains materials relating to the experiences of Ukrainian Catholics in Manitoba.

United Church Archives (Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario)
The collection, located at the University of Winnipeg, contains records pertaining to the Methodist, Presbyterian, and Congregational Churches prior to 1925, and the United Church after 1925.

University of Alberta Archives
The Archives is the official repository for the permanently valuable records of the University of Alberta and its affiliated institutions.

University of Manitoba Archives and Special Collections
The University of Manitoba’s collection includes internal University records as well as Canadian prairie literary manuscripts, the Archives of the Agricultural Experience, and rare books in the areas of western Canadiana, early Arctic exploration, early Native language syllabics, spiritualism, church history and philosophy, and agriculture. It also contains a large collection of clippings and photographs compiled by the Winnipeg Tribune, which was published between 1890 and 1980.

University of Winnipeg Archives & Records Centre
The University of Winnipeg Archives and Records Centre collects and houses materials generated by the University of Winnipeg (1967-present) and its precursors, Manitoba College (1871-1938), Wesley College (1886-1938), and United College (1938-1967). It also holds personal papers of some former administrators and faculty.

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Museums

Association of Manitoba Museums
The Association promotes museums and heritage around Manitoba by providing training, advocacy, resources, and leadership.

Brokenhead-Beausejour Historical Society and Pioneer Village Museum
This museum near Beausejour includes a recreation of a pioneer village.

Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum (Brandon)
This museum focuses on the preservation and restoration of aircraft and artifacts related to the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, which oversaw the training of numerous pilots during the Second World War.

Cook’s Creek Heritage Museum (RM of Springfield)
This museum focuses on the Galician (Ukrainian) pioneers of southeastern Manitoba. The main museum is in an old church rectory. The rest of the museum consists of pioneer homes, barn, farm machinery, and blacksmith shop.

Costume Museum of Canada (Winnipeg)
This museum is devoted to the history of clothing.

Daly House Museum (Brandon)
The Daly House was built in 1882 for Thomas Mayne Daly, the first mayor of Brandon. The museum, which is open year-round to visitors, opened in 1978. It also houses the Magnacca Research Centre, an extensive collection of files, photographs, directories, and other documents relating to the history of Brandon.

J. A. V. David Museum (Killarney)
This museum, named for J. A. V. David, was located in Killarney’s first post office.

The Fire Fighters Museum of Winnipeg
This museum, based in an old city fire hall in downtown Winnipeg, offers an extensive collection of vintage fire apparatus, artifacts, pictures and information about the history of fire fighting, from 1882 to the present.

Fort la Reine Museum (Portage la Prairie)
Named for the first fort in this area, built by Pierre Gaultier de la Verendrye and his two sons, this museum features many pioneer buildings and displays, as well as events throughout the summer.

Inglis Grain Elevators National Historic Site (Inglis)
This site is dedicated to the restoration and preservation of five wooden grain elevators in Inglis. These elevators are the last example of the rows that once stood at every small Manitoba community as Canada’s golden-age of grain handling developed in the 1920s.

Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame (Brandon)
Based in Brandon, Manitoba, the Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame was established in 1976. It is dedicated to recognizing those people who have made an outstanding contribution to the betterment of agriculture and rural living in the province.

Manitoba Agricultural Museum (Austin)
Located three kilometers south of the junction of #1 and #34 highways, near Austin, this museum houses Canada’s largest collection of operating vintage farm machinery from 1900 and beyond. The collection includes over 500 implements as well as a pioneer village with over 20 buildings.

Manitoba Antique Automobile Museum (Elkhorn)
Located in Elkhorn, just east of the Saskatchewan border and 100 km west of Brandon, this museum is home to one of the most extensive antique automobile collections in North America. It contains cars dating from as early as 1902.

XII Manitoba Dragoons and 26th Field Regiment Museum (Brandon)
This museum, which opened in 1979, contains a wide range of military memorabilia, including uniforms, webbing, bayonets, cap badges, shoulder flashes, flags, maps and swords. The museum library contains material which covers practically every war, battle or skirmish in which Canadian troops were involved.

Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame (Winnipeg)
Established in 1980 by the Manitoba Sports Federation, the mission of the Hall of Fame is to preserve, celebrate and showcase the history and heritage of sport excellence and achievement in Manitoba. The Hall is located on the fifth floor of the Hudson’s Bay Company store in downtown Winnipeg.

Mennonite Heritage Village (Steinbach)
This museum brings to life the Mennonite way of life from the 16th century to present day on a 40-acre site in Steinbach.

Naval Museum of Manitoba (Winnipeg)
Opened in 1980, the Naval Museum of Manitoba promotes the history of Canada’s navy, especially as it pertains to Manitobans who have served with it. The Naval Museum captures a moment in history, remembering the lifestyle, sense of duty and patriotism of Canadian sailors during times of peace and war.

Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada (Winnipeg)
The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada (RAMWC) was incorporated in 1974 as a charitable, non-profit organization. Based in the original Trans-Canada Air Lines Overhaul Base and Air Terminal at the Winnipeg International Airport (formerly Stevenson Field), the museum features numerous vintage aircraft, a library and archives, restoration shop, viewing platform, book and gift shop, and meeting rooms.

Transcona Historical Museum (Winnipeg)
The Transcona Historical Museum celebrates the rich culture and heritage of this region of southeastern Winnipeg.

Winnipeg Police Museum (Winnipeg)
The Winnipeg Police museum is located in the Winnipeg Police Training Academy and displays many artifacts relating to the history of the Winnipeg Police Force dating from its beginning in 1874 to present. The archives of the museum contain many of the old records that also date back into the 1880s.

Winnipeg Railway Museum (Winnipeg)
The Winnipeg Railway Museum, located on tracks 1 and 2 of Union Station in Winnipeg, features the history of railways in Manitoba. The museum has a large collection of antique railway cars, locomotives, and other rail paraphernalia.

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Organizations

Brandon University, Department of History
This department offers a range of courses in history, and the university archives has collections of materials pertaining to southwestern Manitoba.

Canadian Committee on Labour History
The committee promotes the study of labour and working-class history. It defines working-class and labour history in the broadest terms and encourages study of working-class communities, culture, ethnicity, family life, gender, sexuality, migration, ideology, politics and organization. It recognizes the value of a diversity of disciplinary and theoretical approaches to the study of history and encourages open and active discussion and debate. It aims to encourage the inclusion of working-class history in school curricula, through institutions of public history, and within the educational programs of labour and community organizations.

Canadian Oral History Association
This group, based at the University of Winnipeg, is concerned with the recording and preservation of oral history in Canada.

Canada’s National History Society
Canada’s National History Society was incorporated in 1993 as a non-profit organization devoted to popularizing Canadian history. It aims to make Canadians more aware and appreciative of their heritage. It publishes The Beaver and Kayak, popular magazines about Canadian history. The Society is an indirect result of a 1994 donation by the Hudson’s Bay Company of its corporate archives to the Archives of Manitoba, and its museum collection to the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature, both public institutions based in Winnipeg.

Canadian Heritage Information Network
The Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN), a Special Operating Agency in the Department of Canadian Heritage, was created in 1972 to foster sound management of the knowledge and collections developed by museums and to provide public access to that knowledge through a national inventory of museum collections across the country. CHIN and Canadian museums work together to strengthen our collective ability to create, present and manage Canadian online content.

Canadian Historical Association
Founded in 1922, the Canadian Historical Association is a national organization dedicated to historical research and scholarship in all fields of history.

Centre for Rupert’s Land Studies
The Centre for Rupert’s Land Studies, based at the University of Winnipeg, facilitates scholarly research and publishing on the human history of the Hudson’s Bay Company territory, known from 1670 to 1870 as Rupert’s Land. The Centre also assists researchers, hosts biennial colloquia, publishes The Rupert’s Land Newsletter, promotes awareness of the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives in Winnipeg, and co-publishes, with McGill-Queen’s University Press, a series of documentary volumes on the history of Rupert’s Land.

The Champlain Society
The mission of the Champlain Society is to increase public awareness of and access to Canada’s rich store of historical records.

City of Winnipeg Heritage Conservation
Historical development patterns have left Winnipeg with an extensive stock of older commercial, industrial, residential, and institutional structures. Information on the city’s heritage buildings is available at this site.

Doors Open Canada
The aim of Doors Open events is to facilitate people’s understanding and enjoyment of their local architectural environment while encouraging awareness of their built heritage.

Ephemera Society of America
This is a non-profit organization formed in 1980 to encourage the preservation and study of paper ephemera, to further the special interests of ephemerists, and to serve as a link among collectors, dealers, and scholars.

Hanover Steinbach Historical Society (status unknown)
The Hanover Steinbach Historical Society was organized in 1988 to research and write the history and heritage of the Hanover and Steinbach area in Manitoba, with emphasis on the period from 1874 to 1910.

Heritage Brandon
The Brandon Municipal Heritage Committee was established in August 1987 by the Brandon city council to consider applications and make recommendations respecting the designation of heritage sites as municipal heritage sites, and the demolition, alteration or renovation of those sites. It mandate was subsequently expanded to include: the promotion of public awareness and appreciation of heritage resources; the development of civic policies and programs that will conserve and enhance Brandon’s heritage sites; the development of incentive programs for heritage conservation; recognition of heritage sites and outstanding contributions to heritage conservation and tourism; and the provision of technical and professional advice to the local community.

Heritage Canada Foundation
The Heritage Canada Foundation is a national organization and registered charity whose mandate is to encourage the preservation and demonstration of the nationally significant historic, architectural, natural and scenic heritage of Canada.

Heritage Manitoba
This is a province-wide association of municipal heritage advisory committees for Manitoba. These committees are established by municipal councils to advise them on community matters.

Heritage Winnipeg
Heritage Winnipeg is a non-profit organization, established in 1978, that promotes the restoration, rehabilitation, and preservation of Winnipeg’s buildings and other historical resources.

Historica Foundation
Historicas mission is to help all Canadians come to know the fascinating stories that make our country unique.

Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada
The Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada is a non-profit organization involved in preserving, documenting, interpreting, and sharing Jewish heritage. Headquartered at the Asper Jewish Community Campus in Winnipeg, the JHC houses a research library, collection rooms, a museum which features a permanent exhibit as well as visiting and seasonal exhibits, and a Holocaust resource and education centre.

The Lord Selkirk Association of Rupert’s Land
The Assocation was formed and incorporated in 1908 to honour Thomas Douglas, Fifth Earl of Selkirk, and to prepare for the 100th anniversary of the first settlers, who arrived at Red River on 27 October 1812, to establish the first settlement west of the Great Lakes. The objective of the association is to link together the descendants of these Selkirk settlers, and to perpetuate the memory and preserve their spirit, traditions and history.

Manitoba Antique Association
The Manitoba Antique Association promotes the study and appreciation of antiques, works of art and objects of historical importance. The association provides educational programs for the benefit of both the members and the general public. It hosts monthly presentations for members on various topics relating to antiques and items of historical importance, and a twice-yearly Show and Sale of antiques and collectibles for the general public. Members have access to a substantial library of books related to antiques and collectibles.

Manitoba Heritage Network
The Manitoba Heritage Network has been established as a project of the Manitoba Archaeological Society to provide Internet-based information and services related to Manitoba’s rich cultural heritage.

Manitoba Library Association
The MLA is a voluntary, non-incorporated association with over 350 personal and institutional members.

Manitoba Living History Society
The Manitoba Living History Society interprets the province’s rich heritage through costumed animation. Formally created in 1995, individual members of the society have been active historical re-enactors since 1979. From the Hudson’s Bay Company and the North-West Company of the fur trade, to the years of the Selkirk Settlement, to Lord Woseley’s expedition, the Society has portrayed a wide range of personalities in the Red River Valley: fur traders, voyageurs, clerks, country wives, farmers, housewives, soldiers, buffalo hunters, among others.

Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society
This society was formed in 1958 to foster interest in, and preserve information about Manitoba’s Mennonite heritage.

Manitoba Society for the History of Medicine (status unknown)
This Society meets several times a year where presentations covering a wide range of medical history - local or general - are presented.

Metis Resource Centre
This Winnipeg-based charitable organization, started in 1995, helps to foster the culture and history of the Metis people.

Military History Society of Manitoba
A non-profit corporation formed in 1987, the objectives of the Society are to collate information on military material culture and history, and to acquire new knowledge through research and study with special emphasis on Manitoba units and their activities.

Nostalgia Broadcasting Cooperative
This Winnipeg non-profit group broadcasts old-time music and other materials on radio station CJNU 104.7 FM.

Photographic Historical Society of Canada
The PHSC was formed in 1974 to advance the knowledge of and interest in the history of photography, particularly of photography in Canada.

Prairie Dog Central Railway
The Prairie Dog Central is located in Winnipeg, A set of restored railway coaches, built between 1901 and 1913, are pulled by an 1882 steam locomotive and a 2½ hour journey into the past.

Preserving My Heritage
This website, created by the Canadian Conservation Institute, provides useful tips for the care and preservation of family heirlooms, works of art, and other delicate items. It also provides an introduction into the field of heritage conservation.

Red River Regional Heritage Fair
Each spring, hundreds of Manitoba school children participate in their local school heritage fairs. This nationally sponsored program (through Historica) gives children the opportunity to discover a piece of their heritage and then tell their story at a celebration called the Heritage Fair. From these individual school fairs, students with exceptional projects are invited to participate in the Red River Regional Heritage Fair.

St. Andrew’s Society of Winnipeg
Their primary purpose is to preserve and promote Scottish culture in Manitoba and, secondarily, to promote recognition of the historic contribution of Scots and those of Scottish descent to the building of Manitoba.

St. David’s Society of Winnipeg
The Society, founded in 1894, celebrates and promotes interest in the history, language, culture and heritage of Wales. It is non-political and non-sectarian. Membership is open to anyone.

Heritage Saint Norbert
This is a non-profit charitable organization formed in 1979 to preserve and promote the historic aspects of the community of St. Norbert, Manitoba.

Turtle Mountain - Souris Plains Heritage Association
The TM-SPHA involves Towns, Rural Municipalities, Métis Locals, and concerned citizens in southwestern Manitoba to protect heritage sites, collect and share stories, attract visitors and promote creative and partnered economic development.

United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada, Manitoba Branch
The objectives of the branch are to to identify and unite those descendants of Loyalists living in Manitoba, to offer assistance with the research of Loyalist ancestry, to present educational programs relating to the Loyalist legacy, and to inform current generations of the significant contributions made by the Loyalists and their descendants to the formation and growth of Canada.

University of Manitoba, Department of History
The department includes specialists in intellectual, cultural, social, medieval, Aboriginal, women’s, and international history. A particular area of departmental specialization is Canadian and western Canadian history. In addition to offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in history, the department also offers, in collaboration with the University of Winnipeg, a graduate-level program in archival studies.

University Women’s Club of Winnipeg
This club, founded in 1909 and based in a renovated home that once belonged to novelist Ralph Connor (aka Reverend Dr. Charles Gordon), provides fellowship for members, leadership and effective action for community initiatives, and a voice for national issues.

Western Canada Pictorial Index
The mission of the WCPI, based at the University of Winnipeg, is to preserve, catalogue and disseminate photographs that depict the history and culture of Western Canada, including its people, commerce, architecture, and natural resources.

Winnipeg Real Estate News - Heritage Highlights (see the Archives section)
This weekly newspaper by Winnipeg Realtors includes a feature on historical interests in and around Winnipeg.

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Journals

Journal of Historical Biography
This site, hosted by the University College of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, is published twice annually, in spring and fall. It includes biographical portraits of prominent individuals of any nation, and theoretical, methodological, or philosophical pieces that reflect on the larger issues associated with writing biography or autobiography.

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Historical Clothing and Paraphernalia

Note: The following businesses are not affiliated with the Manitoba Historical Society, and inclusion here does not represent endorsement of their products and/or services.

Military Heritage Weapons and Uniforms: Home of the Discriminating General
This site, based in Ontario, provides military heritage products for museums and collectors. Products range from custom-made replicas, historical research services and rentals for museums and the film industry, and stock military reproductions.

River Junction Trade Company
This firm, based in Iowa, specializes in 19th century dry goods.

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Businesses

Note: The following businesses are not affiliated with the Manitoba Historical Society, and inclusion here does not represent endorsement of their products and/or services.

AbeBooks
The Advanced Book Exchange (ABE) site, based in British Columbia, is purportedly the world’s largest online marketplace for used and out-of-print books. It boasts 13,500 booksellers selling 100 million books.

Adanac Antiques and Collectibles
Located in Winnipeg, this business has over 30 years of experience in the sale of memorabilia and unique collectibles.

Burton Lysecki Books
Burton Lysecki Books, based in Winnipeg, specializes in old, rare, and out-of-print books. Established in 1971, it is the city’s oldest antiquarian bookstore.

Greenfield Books
Greenfield Books, based in Winnipeg, is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of Canada. They specialize in rare and out-of-print books on many subjects, including Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Canadian history. Their inventory is particularly strong in local histories, and material relating to Louis Riel and Métis history. They also offer appraisals and will assist in acquisitions and the development of libraries.

Great Plains Publications
Great Plains is an independent book publisher based in Winnipeg specializing in prairie history, biography, and fiction.

Heartland Associates
Heartland Associates is a Winnipeg-based publisher of history, heritage, travel and non-fiction books.

History Television Canada
This website is the online companion to a television station dedicated to offering programs on a wide range of topics in Canadian and world history.

International League of Antiquarian Booksellers
The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) site offers rare and collectible books from over 2,000 of the world’s finest antiquarian booksellers. Unlike most other on-line bookselling sites, the ILAB closely regulates who may sell books on its site, and offers customers a method of redress in the event of a dispute.

Mike’s General Store
Established in Winnipeg in 1980, Mike’s General Store contains a wide selection of old toys, old tins, advertising signs, memorabilia, and other historical collectibles.

Nerman’s Books and Collectibles
This store in Winnipeg specializes in children’s book, and nostalgic books and nostalgic magazines including music, movie, television, sports, Time, Life, and many more. They also stock vintage and contemporary paperbacks, science fiction, and fantasy, and other genres.

NewspaperArchive.com
This website is produced by a division of Heritage Microfilm, a firm specializing in microfilming of newspapers and other documents. The contents of thousands of old newspapers, including the Manitoba Free Press from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, have been digitized and are searchable on names and other keywords.

J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing
Shillingford publishes under several imprints including Watson & Dwyer Publishing, which focuses on Canadian social history.

University of Manitoba Press
The University of Manitoba Press publishes scholarly and popular books in the areas of Native studies, Canadian history, and Canadian literature and culture.

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Projects

Aboriginal Resources and Services
This site, prepared by the National Library of Canada, provides under its “Research” link, a wide variety of historical documents pertaining to Canada’s aboriginal peoples. The full text of Indian Affairs Annual Reports from 1864 through 1990 are available online, among many other resources.

Alpha Revisited
This site, by Brandonite Ken Storie, examines the S.S. Alpha, the last steamboat to ply the shallow waters of the Assiniboine River, and which ran aground there in April 1885.

Atlas of Alberta Railways
This site features the railroading history of Alberta, illustrated by maps, articles, photographs, charts, graphs, and trivia.

Canada’s Digital Collections
The Canada’s Digital Collections program of the federal government gives youth aged 15-30 the opportunity to gain valuable on-the-job experience and skills producing websites about Canada for display on the World Wide Web. The program also enables Canadian cultural institutions and other organizations to improve access to their collections and promotes creative new business ventures across the country.

Canada’s Historic Places
The Canadian Register of Historic Places is part of the Historic Places Initiative, a federal, provincial, territorial collaboration in Canada.

The Canadian West
This site, developed by the National Archives of Canada, has large numbers of scanned documents and pictures relating to early life in Western Canada.

Cuthbert Grant: First Leader of the Metis

Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
This site provides access to the fourteen volumes already in print and to a selection of biographies from unprinted volumes. The biographies are fully searchable by keyword and volumes.

Doors Open Winnipeg
Explore Winnipeg’s built treasures during this free weekend event, held annually in May. From the old to the new, discover the elaborate architecture and untold stories of buildings in downtown Winnipeg and St. Boniface.

EH.net
This site deals with economic history. Among the abundant information here are “How Much Is That?” calculators to convert currency from the past into modern equivalents.

False Starts - A Collection of Settlement Stories from Western Manitoba
This site, by Brandonite Ken Storie, considers the history of abandoned settlements in western Manitoba.

Flin Flon Heritage Project
The main goal of this initiative is to capture, store and make the history and heritage of Flin Flon and surrounding area readily available in one central place.

Fur Trade Stories
This site features materials relating to the fur trade, selected from collections of Canada’s National History Society, the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba, the Manitoba Museum, Parks Canada, and several First Nations communities.

Grain Elevators Canada
This website by an amateur photographer from Banff, Alberta contains over 1,800 photographs of these prairie icons.

Hudson’s Bay Company Biographical Sheets
Biographical sheets have been created by Hudson’s Bay Company Archives staff to provide employment information on individuals who were employed by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) and/or the North West Company.

Images Canada
Images Canada provides central search access to the thousands of images held on the websites of participating Canadian cultural institutions.

Manitoba’s Pioneer Churches
The developer of this website, Winnipeg photographer Tyrrell Mendis, has been photographing old churches in Manitoba for over 20 years and now have over 600 of them recorded on film. Some of these structures no longer exist, and others will soon disappear. A small selection of his photographs is shown here, as a way of creating greater awareness of our vanishing treasures.

Manitobia: Life and Times
This site is an initiative of the Manitoba Library Consortium, the University of Winnipeg, the University of Manitoba, the Legislative Library of Manitoba, and the Archives of Manitoba. It features Manitoba history between the mid 1800s and the early 20th century.

NOW: Neighbourhoods of Winnipeg
This website by the City of Winnipeg profiles the various neighbourhoods that make up the city.

Operation Dialogue
This site is an online tool and database that allows people to publish information, stories, pictures, audio, video etc. about a person who they believe to be of interest to other Canadians. It is not intended for professional historians but rather as a way for others to submit things that might otherwise be lost.

Our Future, Our Past: The Alberta Heritage Digitization Project
The Alberta Heritage Digitization Project, coordinated by the University of Calgary Press, provides people from all over the world with access to Alberta folklore, art, aerial photographs, maps, early Alberta newspapers, Alberta legal documents, and local and Alberta histories.

Our Roots: Canada’s Local Histories Online
This site, hosted by the University of Calgary on behalf of a group of academic institutions, libraries, and government departments, contains online copies of local histories published across Canada, including several from Manitoba.

Pathways to Winnipeg History, 1874-1924
From its beginnings in 1874 to its celebratory 50th anniversary year in 1924, Winnipeg faced all manner of challenges to emerge as Canada’s then fourth largest city. This website, prepared by the City of Winnipeg Archives, offers a glimpse into these early years through selected documents, artifacts and photographs.

Peel’s Prairie Provinces
This site, based on Peels Bibliography of the Canadian Prairies compiled originally by librarian Bruce Peel (1916-1998), contains references to thousands of publications on Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

Photographers of Minnesota (1850-1920s)
This website by the Minnesota Historical Society provides biographical and historical information about commercial photographers and photographic studios operating in Minnesota.

Photographers of Montreal (1840-1950)
This website lists photographic studios operating in Montreal, Canada between 1840 and 1950. This information is useful for dating old photographs taken there.

Pictorial History of Fargo, North Dakota
This site is hosted by the Institute for Regional Studies at North Dakota State University. It features over 1,000 photographs of the city of Fargo, from its founding in 1870 to the present.

Prairie Immigration Experience
This website, a collaboration of the University of Manitoba’s Archives and Special Collections, the University of Saskatchewan Archives, and the archives of Oseredok, the Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre, contains numerous documents relating to early immigration in western Canada.

Recorders of Community
This site, a project of the Association for Manitoba Archives, describes the archival legacy of the Red River Settlement churches from 1818 to 1870.

Rendez-vous Voyageur
This site, by Winnipeg’s Les Productions Rivard, is designed to help visitors better understand the voyageurs. In addition to information grouped by themes, the site also offers an activity section, information on the documentary “Morning in the North West” and a series of links.

St. Norbert History Project
This page, a joint project of the St. Norbert Arts Centre and Heritage Saint-Norbert, is an historical archive of the people and land of St. Norbert, Manitoba.

Saskatchewan Homestead Index
The Saskatchewan Homestead Index is a file locator database to the homestead files at the Saskatchewan Archives. It contains 360,000 references to men and women who, from 1872 to 1930, took part in the homestead process in the area now known as Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan Settlement Experience
This collaboration of the Saskatchewan Archives Board and the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society provides insight into the people who settled the province of Saskatchewan.

Socialist History Project
The purpose of this project is to make available key documents, manifestos, reminiscences and essays, by and about the revolutionary socialist movement in Canada in the 20th century.

Winnipeg Building Index
This is an ongoing project of the Architecture and Fine Arts Library at the University of Manitoba which identifies sources of information on Winnipeg’s rich and varied architecture. The sources include monographs, journal articles, ephemera, plans, elevations and images.

Winnipeg Time Machine
This site, a presentation of Winnipeg film maker George Siamandas, contains stories and photographs of early Winnipeg and Manitoba.

Winnipeg Tribune Collection
The Winnipeg Tribune, one of western Canada’s oldest newspapers, ran from 1890 to 1980. The Tribune was a rival to the Winnipeg Free Press. While it had excellent coverage of local events and personalities, it also reported on national and international news. After the sudden collapse of the newspaper, the paper’s “morgue files,” dating from the 1930s to 1980, consisting of photographs and folders of clippings on local, national and international subjects and personalities, were acquired by the University of Manitoba.

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Blogs

This Was Winnipeg
This blog by Christian Cassidy explores the history of the city through a series of daily events and essays.

1919: The Winnipeg General Strike
A blog by Christian Cassidy focussing on the Strike in commemoration of its 90th anniversary in 2009.

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Miscellaneous

Apparel History Timeline
This website contains information on clothing styles through the ages.

Canadian Encyclopedia
This website is part of the non-profit Historica-Dominion Institute, the largest independent organization dedicated to Canadian history, identity, culture, and citizenship.

1911 Encyclopedia
This encyclopedia, originally published in 1911, contains 29 volumes and over 44 million words. The articles were written by more than 1500 authors within their various fields of expertise.

Button walking tour
This tour winds its way through the old county of Glamorgan, Wales, past the area where the family of Admiral Sir Thomas Button lived.

Canadian Geographical Place Names
Ever try to find a small town or location on a map of Canada? This site can help. It provides a comprehensive database of sites across the country, with supporting maps and geographic coordinates.

Canadian Inflation Calculator
This site, by the Bank of Canada, uses monthly consumer price index data from 1914 to the present to show changes in the cost of consumer purchases during this period.

A Day in the Life of a Trappist Monk
This page provides information about the monks of the Abbey of Our Lady of the Prairies at St. Norbert, Manitoba.

Festival du Voyageur
The Festival du Voyageur, held in St. Boniface (Winnipeg) each winter, helps to enhance and promote Franco-Manitoban heritage and culture by showcasing the fur trade era and the “joie de vivre” to the community as a whole.

Hidden Winnipeg
This site explores Winnipeg’s rich body of distinctive but too often ignored buildings and art.

Hillman Compendium of Canadian Heritage Sites
This site, maintained by Brandon residents Bill and Sue-On Hillman, has an abundance of information about heritage sites, especially those in western Manitoba.

Lieutenant-Governors of Manitoba
This site provides biographical information on each of the Lieutenant-Governors of Manitoba since the province’s inception in 1870.

Manitoba, eh?
MHS members Paul and Joyce Armstrong are interested in exchanging information on some of the province’s less well known historical and current sites/sights.

Manitoba License Plates
This site contains information, including photographs, of automobile, motorcyle, and bicycle plates issued in Manitoba from the earliest days.

Winnipeg Police Stories
This site provides a number of interesting stories about events in the development of the Winnipeg Police Service, and its history since founding with the city in 1874.

Winnipeg Then & Now
Numerous old photographs of Winnipeg on this site come from black-and-white postcards (sometimes hand-colored) that were produced commercially in the early 20th century.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 1 July 2017