Manitoba 1912 License Plate Project

14 September 2006

A researcher is compiling a database of 1912 automobile license plates issued in Manitoba, and requests the help of license plate collectors and others.

At present, the database lists 3,727 Manitoba license plates and it includes information on the owner of the automobile carrying each plate:

• Automobile Make (Ford, Reo, E.M.F., etc.)
• Owner Name
• Owner Occupation
• Owner Address (latitude/longitude and, if applicable, street address)

A few examples:

Plate #254 was on a Reo registered to William C. Fraser, a farmer near Hamiota.
Source: Andrew Osborn

Plate #1654 was on a Reo registered to Donald R. Dingwall, a Winnipeg jeweler.
Source: Andrew Osborn

Plate #3977 was on an E.M.F. registered to D. Willson of Boissevain.
Source: Mike Sells

The 1912 automobile database will be put on the Internet for free access, accompanying an article on 1912 automobiling in Manitoba, when research has been completed. Among the information extracted from the database will be maps showing the spatial patterns of automobile owners in Manitoba, such as this example for Winnipeg:

Shaded area indicates Winnipeg city boundaries in 1912. Green circles are locations of automobile owners.

We would like to contact all collectors of 1912 Manitoba license plates. If they will tell us the number on each of their plates, regardless of condition, we will provide the above information, and any additional data that we may have for that plate, such as a biographical sketch of the owner.

Please contact:

Gordon Goldsborough
Telephone: 204-474-7469 (leave a message)
Email: ggoldsb@cc.umanitoba.ca

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