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About Us

Are you interested in the history of Manitoba and Western Canada? If so, the Manitoba Historical Society is for you! Membership is open to individuals, students, families, organizations, and businesses.

Link to: Membership fees | Membership form Become a member using the MHS Online Shop. Please contact the MHS office with questions and to become an MHS member.

Benefits of membership in the Manitoba Historical Society include:

	Prairie History Our journal, published three times a year, is devoted to the history of Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the US borderlands. It contains well researched, scholarly articles as well as articles of general interest and book reviews.
	Website Our website contains a wide variety of historical information drawn from our publications (Transactions, Manitoba Pageant, Manitoba History, Prairie History). It also contains unique documents and articles, biographies, historic sites, lists of award recipients, and information about MHS programs.
	MHS Fundraising Dinners This annual event is the Society’s primary fundraiser. Dinners feature guest speakers on a variety of topics.
	Multicultural Dinners This annual events highlights the ethnic diversity of Manitoba. Each dinner features a particular group, including its indigenous foods and beverages, and accompanied by a presentation on its activities in Manitoba.
	Field Trips The MHS operates guided historic bus tours to various sites in the region. Trips have included stops at Wawanesa’s Sipiweske Museum, the Archibald Museum near La Rivière, the Inglis grain elevators, the Royal Canadian Artillery Museum in Shilo, and the northern communities of The Pas, Flin Flon, and Grand Rapids. The MHS has prepared walking tour guides of the Tuxedo, Crescentwood, Wolseley, and Point Douglas neighbourhoods in Winnipeg.
	Committees The MHS’s standing committees address topics of specific interest. Some committees are responsible for research, planning, and presentation of awards, or operation of museums. Others are more wide-ranging in their terms of reference. At present, committees include: Centennial Business, Centennial Farm, Centennial Organization, McWilliams, Young Historians, Field Trip, Publications, Membership, Program, Fundraising Dinner, Historic Preservation, and Heritage Trust.
	Presentations & Programs The MHS Programs Committee, often in collaboration with other MHS committees and external groups, organizes presentations on a range of topics.
	Affiliated Societies The MHS’s mandate includes assistance in the formation and work of local historical societies in furthering the objectives of the Society throughout Manitoba. Any local, regional, national, or international group which endorses the objectives of the MHS is invited to become an affiliated society with a view toward facilitating intercommunication and mutual enrichment.
	Centennial Farm Awards This program was initiated by the MHS in 1980 to recognize farms which have been operated continuously for 100 years or more by a single family. To date, over 1,200 farms have been so designated throughout southern Manitoba. Recipient families receive a plaque or certificate, usually at a formal presentation ceremony. A separate Century Farm program of the provincial government provides signs which recipient families post at their farm gate.
	Centennial Business Awards In 1999, the MHS initiated the Manitoba Centennial Business Awards to recognize businesses that have operated continuously in the province for over 100 years. Changes in business location and ownership are permitted. Recipient businesses, of which there have been 52 so far, are presented with a commemorative plaque at the annual Fundraising Dinner or at an event sponsored by the recipient.
	Centennial Organization Awards This program was started in 2004 as part of the MHS’s 125th anniversary celebrations. It commemorates 100 years of continuous operation by non-profit organizations, clubs, congregations, and associations in the areas of culture, economic development, education, health, heritage, labour, politics, recreation and sport, religion, and social reform. Numerous awards have been made to date, usually at our annual awards ceremony.
	Margaret McWilliams Awards This award, one of the oldest literary awards in Canada, was instituted in 1955 as a memorial to Margaret S. McWilliams, a well-known Manitoba author, by her husband, former Lieutenant-Governor Roland F. McWilliams. Its purpose is to encourage the study and interpretation of the history of Manitoba. Certificates are presented at our annual awards ceremony to authors of scholarly books, popular books, local histories, and other works.

Page revised: 24 September 2022