ince of Manitoba.
The boundaries for Manitoba being: the 49th parallel on the south, the 96O longitude on the east, the 99O longitude on the west and 50O30' north latitude. In 1881 the boundary was expanded west to the present Manitoba/Saskatchewan border, east to the present Manitoba/Ontario border and north to 52O50' north latitude. The current Manitoba boundary in the north was set in 1912.
Map: Manitoba’s changing boundaries
Hudson’s Bay Company Archives Cartographic Records
The maps in this vast collection cover the vast trading area of the Company from 1563 to ca 1982. These maps are found in the Hudson’s Bay Archives in Winnipeg. Maps that show the location of trading posts are found online at the Hudson's Bay Company Archives website.
- Beattie, Judith Hudson. Indian Maps in the Hudson’s Bay Archives: A Comparison of Five Area Maps Recorded by Peter Fiddler, 1801-1802. Archevaria 21 (Winter 1985-86).
- Ruggles, Richard I. A Country So Interesting:The Hudson’s Bay Company and Two Centuries of Mapping, 1670-1870. Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen’s Press, 1991.
Historical Maps of Manitoba
Parish, township, topographical, railway and highway maps can show administrative boundaries and settlements. The use of historical and topographical maps helps one to understand settlement patterns. Copies of the historical maps are found at the Archives of Manitoba and the Library and Archives Canada. Samples of these maps, as well as lists of others, can be seen on the Internet. Note any restrictions about access and use.
- Parish Plans
Parish plans provide the name of the owner and the parish lot number for the river lots in the Red River Settlement. Use these in conjunction with the Parish Files. These maps have not been microfilmed. Copies of the maps are found at the Archives of Manitoba.
- Township and Cadastral Plans
Township plans generally show the thirty-six sections in a township noting the topographical details in the township. They are particularly interesting to the genealogist because they show the roads, trails, and soil quality. The 3,106 Cadastral Plans for Manitoba , c1890-1930, list the names of the first land owners. The Archives of Manitoba has a card index for the maps arranged by township and range as well as the copies of the maps.
- Section Maps of Western Canada
These three miles to one-inch scale and six mile to one-inch scale maps were produced by the Department of the Interior to depict land descriptions, trails, roads, railways, schools and churches across Western Canada. Many of the towns and villages shown on these maps no longer exist. The Archives of Manitoba have indexes for the Manitoba maps in their collection.
- Cummins Rural Directory Maps
The Cummins Map Company produced maps for Manitoba in 1918 and 1923. These maps show the name of the rural property owners, the location of the hamlets, villages, towns and railroads. The number under the name indicates which post office the owner used. The maps enable one to see if the original owner still owned the land or if they had added to their holding. Copies of the maps are found at the Archives of Manitoba. Microfiche copies are found at the Library and Archives Canada.
- Fire Insurance Plans
These plans were produced or commissioned by fire underwriting firms to help them understand the physical characteristics of the structures in villages and towns before they issued insurance. These maps enable the researcher to learn about the construction and size of buildings, where on the lot they are located, the size of the lot and the names of businesses in the community. The book, Fire Insurance Plans in the National Map Collection, lists one hundred and seven plans for forty-eight Manitoba communities. The Archives of Manitoba have copies of Fire Insurance Plans from ca. 1880-1970.
- Hayward, Robert J. Fire Insurance Plans in the National Map Collection. Ottawa: Public Archives of Canada, 1977.
- Historical Atlas of Canada, Volume III, editor Donald Kerr. Designer/cartographer Geoffrey J. Matthews. Toronto, Buffalo, London, England: University of T