The University of Manitoba has been digitizing historical maps of Manitoba and uploading them to Flickr to help preserve and make them widely available, and the work continues.
The collection includes old city maps, planning maps, transit maps, insurance maps, highway maps, and topographic maps. There is even a small collection of photos and illustrations of city scenes.
The Historical Maps of Manitoba Collection also includes photos and illustrations, such as this one of Winnipeg’s Main Street in 1885.
According to Larry Liberté, who is responsble for the digitization project, the maps are in the public domain. This means you can download and use the maps for personal use and share them on Facebook and other social media.
Browse and search
There are two ways to enjoy the collection. You can browse the images through the photostream or look through the albums. I found it easier to select an album and browse.
As for conducting a keyword search, if you have never searched on Flickr, you may not notice the magnifying glass. Click on it to begin your search as shown below.
After you click on the magnifying glass, a search box appears at the top of the screen. (See image below.) Enter your keyword there. Note that you are searching within the map collection, that is, Wyman Laliberte. If Wyman Laliberte does not appear in the box, you are searching all of Flickr.
To keep abreast of new additions to the site, you may sign up for the RSS feed. (That’s the annoying little box that keeps popping up from the bottom of the website, asking you to sign up.)
I have added the Manitoba Historical Maps collection link to my Genealogy Research Toolbox to make it easy for you to find in the future. Look for Manitoba in the Canada section.
