External online resources covering the history and heritage of Winnipeg and beyond!

Archiseek
An architectural site based in Ireland, it has a large collection of images of historical Winnipeg buildings with short descriptions.

Architectural Styles of Manitoba
A PDF that provides an easy to understand overview of the 16 major architectural styles that make up most of Manitoba’s built heritage.

Archives of Manitoba
The holdings of the Archives of Manitoba are a rich resource for the study of the history of Manitoba and its people, as well as the history of the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada: 1800 – 1950
An authoritative work of reference for the history of Canadian architecture during the study period of 1800 to 1950, and it contains biographies of over 2,500 architects who lived and worked in Canada as well as those architects who resided in the United States, Britain and elsewhere, and for whom it is now possible to link their names with buildings constructed in this country.

Buildings of Canada
A guide to pre-20th-century styles in houses, churches and other structures by Barbara A. Humphreys and Meredith Sykes.

Canadiana
An online database of Canadian archives, including government documents, books, and magazines. An excellent source of primary sources for use in a history classroom.

Canadian Encyclopedia
An online database run by Historica Canada, with short articles about various Canadian figures and events.

City of Winnipeg Archives
The City of Winnipeg Archives has a large collection to help you with your research, including photographs, council minutes, by-laws, assessment roles, election records, architectural and engineering drawings, maps, plans, reports and publications, fire insurance plans, municipal manuals, city directories, and audiovisual materials. 

City of Winnipeg Commemorative List
A list of buildings or lands recognized for their architectural and/or historical value, not protected from demolition or alteration. Includes some historical reports.

City of Winnipeg Heritage Links
A list of organizations to contact in the heritage industry and community.

City of Winnipeg List of Historical Resources
Buildings or lands that have been declared historical resources by the City of Winnipeg based on recommendations by the Historical Buildings and Resources Committee because they embody heritage values, protected from demolition or alteration. Includes historical reports for all designations.

Dictionary of Canadian Biography
A major research and publishing project of the University of Toronto and the Université Laval that was launched in 1959 to provide a reference work of Canadian biography to “compete with or even surpass works of a similar character produced elsewhere.”

Heritage Manitoba
Features heritage projects put together by communities throughout Manitoba, along with links and resources.

Historic Resources Branch
The Province of Manitoba’s website that provides information on archeological sites, heritage organizations and committees, heritage publications, provincial heritage sites and more.

Library and Archives Canada
As the custodian of our distant past and recent history, Library and Archives Canada is a key resource for all Canadians who wish to gain a better understanding of who they are, individually and collectively. Library and Archives Canada acquires, processes, preserves and provides access to our documentary heritage and serves as the continuing memory of the Government of Canada and its institutions. Use the “Search the Collection” menu to easily find what you are looking for.

Local Histories
The University of Manitoba Libraries Local Histories collection includes books that can be searched by both the current and former municipality names, since several municipalities amalgamated in 2015 and the majority of the collection is about the former municipalities, not the current ones.

Manitoba Genealogical Society
A non-profit organization committed to assisting researchers with research into their family history.

Manitoba Historical Society
The oldest organization in Western Canada dedicated to preserving our past for future generations, the website contains a wide variety of historical information including unique documents, articles, biographies, information on historic sites and material drawn from their publications (Transactions, Manitoba Pageant, Manitoba History).

National Trust for Canada
Canada’s national charitable not-for-profit organization that leads and inspires action for places that matter, offering proven tools to save and renew historic places, and a treasure trove of destinations to visit and discover. The National Trust Endangered Places List shines a national spotlight on heritage places at risk, from places of faith to Indigenous cultural landscapes, historic homes and schools to traditional main streets.

North East Winnipeg Historical Society
A group dedicated to recording and preserving the histories of North Kildonan, East Kildonan and Elmwood for present and future generations. The website includes a large collection of historical maps of Winnipeg and the surrounding area.

PastForward
Images, audio, and more, related to Winnipeg’s past, from postcards to historical directories to oral histories, these materials can be browsed and downloaded.

Peel’s Prairie Provinces
A resource dedicated to assisting scholars, students, and researchers of all types in their exploration of western Canadian history and the culture of the Canadian prairies. The website contains both an online bibliography of books, pamphlets, and other materials related to the development of the Prairies, as well as a searchable full-text collection of many of these items. View the Henderson Directories, which contain addresses of citizens and businesses dating as far back as 1905.

Real Estate News
Since 1981, the weekly Winnipeg Real Estate News has been the premiere source of real estate information for Winnipeg and the Metropolitan Region. Published by WinnipegREALTORS®, the magazine contains many articles about Winnipeg history that can be easily found through the search function.

This Was Manitoba
Manitoba’s urban history by the day from Christian Cassidy.

University of Winnipeg Archives Digital Collections
Digital reproductions of a small percentage of the content found in the Archives, including the Western Canada Pictorial Index and material from the Charleswood Historical Society.

Virtual Heritage Winnipeg
A virtual website featuring Winnipeg in days past, including over 3000 archival photos!

West End Dumplings
Local history and urban thoughts from the West End’s own Christian Cassidy.

Winnipeg Architecture Foundation
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 architecture. Their particular emphasis is on the modernist era of 1945 – 1975 but the site includes information on more contemporary architecture, landscape architecture and public art.

Winnipeg Building Index
The University of Manitoba’s ongoing project which identifies sources of information on Winnipeg’s rich and varied architecture. Information on over 2000 buildings includes monographs, journal articles, plans, images and links to electronic publications and websites. Continuously being updated and expanded.

Winnipeg Downtown Places
Building by building, downtown and well beyond! A great blog by Christian Cassidy digging into the history of many of Winnipeg’s buildings.

Winnipeg Public Library Newspaper Archives
Search the archives of a wide variety of newspapers from across Canada, including newspapers from 32 communities in Manitoba. Free to access with a Winnipeg Public Library card.

Winnipeg Tribune Newspaper Clipping
One of western Canada’s oldest newspapers, it 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 Archives & Special Collections. Subsequently, three collections of Tribune negatives were also donated by private citizens.

Winnipeg Tribune Photograph Collection
It contains approximately 250,000 photographs and negatives dating from the early 1930s to 1980. Of these 250,000 photos and negatives, approximately 100,000 were taken by Tribune staff. From this total, approximately 6000 photographs and 1000 negatives have been scanned and their descriptions entered into a searchable on-line database.

The Year Past
A database of the Annual Report of the Historical Buildings and Resources Committee since 1979. Reports contain images and information on historical buildings that are being recommended for designation and were designated each year. An index allows you to easily search for which report contains the information on the building you are interested in.