- A major component of community life is the landmarks, monuments and built heritage within that community. Canadian historians have often claimed that the physical and geographical heritage of Canadians have played a key role in the development of our identity as a nation. Western Canadians, in particular, have been molded by their landscapes and architecture. From sod huts to towering skyscrapers, the built heritage of western Canadian communities has influenced the development of the region and the people. This website consists of nearly 7000 digitized items from the archival holdings of the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections, the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Winnipeg Archives, the Archives of Manitoba, and the University of Calgary's Canadian Architectural Archives pertaining to this topic. The digitized textual documents, photographs, blueprints, and audio and video clips illustrate how western Canada has been shaped by its architecture.
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Archives & Special Collections
Archives & Special Collections is a department of the Libraries and is located in Room 330 on the third floor of the Elizabeth Dafoe Library. Since its establishment in 1978, the Archives' mission has been to acquire, catalogue and preserve university records and special research collections which further the educational aims of the University of Manitoba, and to promote and provide wide access to them. The Archives' wide-ranging collection mandate includes the acquisition of the records of the University of Manitoba, Canadian Prairie Literary Manuscripts, the Archives of the Agricultural Experience and rare books in the areas of western Canadiana, early Arctic exploration, early Native language syllabics, spiritualism, church history and philosophy, and agriculture among others.