Hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm, excluding statutory holidays
Location: 130-200 Vaughan St., Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3C 1T5
Contact:
- General Inquiries: 204-945-3971, archives@gov.mb.ca
- Government and Private Sector Archives: 204-945-3971, gpsa@gov.mb.ca
- Government Recordkeeping: 204-945-3971, gro@gov.mb.ca
- Hudson’s Bay Company Archives: 204-945-4949, hbca@gov.mb.ca
- Preservation Services: 204-945-1265, archives@gov.mb.ca
Access: Access to original records held at the Archives of Manitoba is restricted to clients holding valid research passes. A research pass may be obtained on the first visit by completing the application form and presenting one piece of photo identification. Prior to visiting, it is recommended that you consult the Research Room Policies and Procedures
Website: http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/index.html
The Archives of Manitoba has two primary centres of acquisition, the Government and Private Sector Archives (GPSA) and the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives (HBCA).
The GPSA is responsible for the archival records of the Manitoba government as well as records of the Manitoba private sector and of municipalities and school districts/divisions. The records represent a broad cross-section of Manitoba and the themes within Manitoba history including: aboriginal peoples, immigration, settlement, governance, agriculture, labour, health, arts and culture.
The GPSA maintains the records of the various government departments, and their subordinate agencies such as the Sanatorium Board of Manitoba (1900-1987) and the Veterinary Services Branch (1964-2004). The GPSA also contains the records of many private organizations in the field of health and medicine including the Manitoba College of Family Physicians (1954-1984), the Canadian Mental Health Association – Manitoba Division (1951-1986), the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (1962-2000), and the Council of Women of Winnipeg (1894-1994).
The archive is also home to the private papers of physicians such as obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Ida Manning Armstrong (1905-1982); Dr. Harry Medovy (1904-1995), head of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Manitoba; and Dr. William Ewart (1925-1995) who researched and wrote about the history of medicine in the Hudson’s Bay Company.
The Hudson’s Bay Company was chartered in 1670 as a fur trading company to cater to the European demand for felt hats made from beaver fur. In the 1670 charter, the HBC was granted title to the drainage area of the Hudson Bay basin, almost 1.5 million square miles, or 40% of the area of modern-day Canada. In 1869, this land was transferred to the crown and subsequently made part of the newly-created Dominion of Canada. The HBCA consists of more than 3,000 linear metres of textual records dating from 1671. This includes the records of company decision makers in London and Montreal; ships’ records; trading post records; explorers’ records; records of the Red River Settlement; records of related and subsidiary companies such as the North West Company; and private papers such as letters, diaries, and research notes. A detailed online finding aid is available for the HBCA textual records. Through this finding aid, users can search the records of 494 trading posts by post name, region, or post number. Users can also search ships’ records for 72 HBC ships by name of ship or area of service. The HBCA also contains more than 130,000 images; 1,350 prints, drawings, and paintings; 12,000 maps, charts, plans, and architectural drawings; 100 motion picture film and videotape recordings; 485 sound recordings; and a library of over 10,000 titles
Vital statistics for the Province of Manitoba are not maintained by the Archives of Manitoba. They are located at the Vital Statistics Agency.
The Archives of Manitoba website contains several online exhibits. Spotlight: The Hudson’s Bay Company Archives in Words and Images is a series which features exhibits on various topics related to the Hudson’s Bay Company. The series Rearview Manitoba: Our Heritage is Closer than it Appears showcases “intriguing Manitobans” whose records are held in the Archives of Manitoba. At Home and Away is a blog about records at the Archives of Manitoba relating to the First World War.