Archives of Manitoba

Manitoba’s rich documentary past is accessible to you at the Archives of Manitoba. Some of their collection is digitized, and you can peruse images, primary documents, and oral histories (and more!)

City of Winnipeg Archives

The City of Winnipeg’s archives hold a wealth of information on the city’s history. You can check out their digital exhibits, or schedule an appointment to visit if you’re looking for something specific.

City of Winnipeg Historical Resources List

Here you can find out more about municipally designated heritage buildings! Each designated building has it’s own report, so it’s a great resource if you’re curious about Winnipeg’s stock of historical buildings.

Heritage Winnipeg

Heritage Winnipeg is a non-profit charitable organization, established in 1978 which promotes the restoration, rehabilitation and preservation of Winnipeg’s built environment. Heritage Winnipeg has an array of resources, both online and at their office. Check out their blog for the stories of Winnipeg buildings! (Bonus: some of these blogs were written by Sabrina!)

Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada

The JHCWC has over 70,000 photographs and Jewish community newspapers from 1910 to the present, oral histories and other materials.

Manitoba Archival Information Network (MAIN)

The Manitoba Archival Information Network (MAIN) is an online searchable database supported by the Association for Manitoba Archives. MAIN provides access to descriptions of archival material held in Manitoba, including photographs, documents, audiovisual records, and maps. As a centralized resource for archival descriptions held in various repositories across Manitoba, MAIN facilitates access to records from a diverse range of creators.

Manitoba Historical Society

The Manitoba Historical Society (MHS), founded in 1879, is the oldest organization in Western Canada dedicated to preserving Western Canadian history. They have a wide variety of articles and images of Manitoba history.

Parks Canada National Historic Sites

Manitoba has a handful of designated National Historic Sites, learn about them on the Government of Canada’s website.

Past Forward Postcard Collection

Here you will find images, audio, and more, related to Winnipeg’s past. From postcards to historical directories to oral histories, these materials can be browsed and downloaded.

Peels Prairie Provinces

This archive from the University of Alberta includes documents on Manitoba, as well as information about Saskatchewan and Alberta (if you’re into that sort of thing).

Province of Manitoba Historic Resources

Want to know about historic buildings outside of Winnipeg? Check out the province’s list of designated historic structures!

University of Manitoba Digital Collections

Alex and Sabrina would be lost without the newspaper collection available here. Check out the Winnipeg Tribune for exciting, and often confusing, local gossip throughout Winnipeg’s early years. The collection also includes images, local history books, letters, and a lot more.

Virtual Museum of Metis History and Culture

This website is the most comprehensive attempt to chronicle traditional Métis history and culture on the World Wide Web and contains a wealth of primary documents – oral history interviews, photographs and various archival documents – in visual, audio and video files.

West End Dumplings

A local history blog run by the one and only Christian Cassidy. Cassidy covers a wide variety of niche topics and also writes articles for Winnipeg Real Estate News.

Western Canadian Pictorial Index

The Western Canada Pictorial Index consists of reproductions of more than 70,000 images related to the history of Western Canada, gathered over nearly three decades. Due to copyright restrictions, not all of the images in their database are available online but this is a link to all the digitized ones.

Winnipeg Architecture Foundation

The Winnipeg Architecture Foundation is a registered charity with a mandate to educate the public about architecture. They are a group of architects, historians and interested individuals, with a passion for Winnipeg’s architect. Curious about a building? They’ll probably know something! They also have an excellent collection of primary sources about Winnipeg buildings as well as tours and books about Winnipeg architecture.

Winnipeg in Focus

Winnipeg in Focus is a database for archival descriptions and digital collections at the City of Winnipeg Archives. View historic images of Winnipeg or check out old city hall records.

Winnipeg Public Library

Through the Winnipeg Public Library’s Local History Room, you can find books about Manitoba’s history as well as primary sources. You can also access old newspapers through the library.