Primary tabs

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.

Grid
List

: A.H. Reginald Buller fonds; Arthur Henry (A.H.) Reginald Buller was born August 14, 1874 in Moseley, Birmingham, England. In 1904, Buller was appointed the first professor of Botany and Geology at the University of Manitoba, one of the original six professors hired by the University. Buller served as Head of the Botany Department until his retirement in 1936. Buller won international recognition for his work on fungi and wheat rust. The drawings included in this digital collection were discovered by faculty of the University of Manitoba Botany Department in Dr. Buller's original map cabinet. They consist of hand drawn, inked, and watercoloured botanical diagrams and charts.

: Andrew Taylor fonds; Andrew Taylor (1907-1993) was one of Canada's foremost polar explorers. Taylor, a Scottish immigrant, earned his engineering degree from the University of Manitoba in 1931. Upon graduation, he landed a job as a Provincial Surveyor and in that capacity, he observed much of rural Manitoba prior to its transformation brought about by hydro-electric, agricultural, mineral, timber and urban development. He was stationed in Churchill, Manitoba in 1931 and 1932. Taylor moved to Flin Flon, Manitoba in 1933 and eventually became Town Engineer. In this capacity, many of the town's roadways, drains, sewers and water supply lines are left as part of his legacy. The digitized photographs from the Andrew Taylor fonds document Taylor's time in northern Manitoba as a surveyor and engineer.

: Brown and Gold Yearbooks; The Brown and Gold was the title of the annual yearbook published by the University of Manitoba Students' Union. It was initially published in 1914 and was published annually until 1967. Two volumes were published in the 1970s however after 1967, yearbook publication primarily became the domain of faculties and departments. The Brown and Gold is one of the few sources to document student life on campus, including clubs, societies, athletics, and more. It also lists and provides short biographies of the graduating students for a given year.

: C. Winston McQuillin fonds; C. Winston McQuillin was a prominent figure in Winnipeg’s amateur theatre scene in the 1920s. The Little Theatre located on Main Street was host to the majority of his theatre career. On this stage he acted in plays such as The Farmer’s Wife and Mr. Pim Passes By. He received critical acclaim for his role as “Oswald” in Ibsen’s Ghosts alongside the Winnipeg Community Players. Amongst his directing credits is the University of Manitoba Menorah Theatre Society’s production of Disraeli. McQuillin’s contributions to Winnipeg theatre aided in the establishment of the Manitoba Theatre Centre. The fonds consists of newsclippings detailing C. Winston McQuillin's theatre career.

: Centre for Settlement Studies fonds; At a meeting in 1966, a group representing several departments of the University of Manitoba expressed a common interest in an interdisciplinary approach to the problems associated with human settlement. Their concern focused primarily on the communities of western and northern Canada. A request for funding, presented to the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation, was favourably received resulting in the formation of the Centre for Settlement Studies in 1967 with John E. Page as first Director. Believing that the social and economic problems associated with human settlement might be a limiting factor in the settlement of Canada's northern communities, Page made this topic the first major focus of research. By 1974, the Centre had reached its peak of activity. The Centre for Settlement Studies ceased to function on June 30, 1976, although research projects continued to be published well into 1977. The digital collection includes the Centre's Source Files including drafts of publications, papers and presentations, partially completed projects, analyses, and related data.

: Charlie Thorson fonds; Charlie Thorson was a seminal figure in the development of animation in the United States and Canadian children's literature. Beginning with political cartoons for local Icelandic language newspapers, his drawing career encompassed work in several fields and disciplines He illustrated Eaton's catalogues at the noted Canadian art studio Brigden's, designed and developed characters at nearly every major Holywood animation studio of the pre-World War II era, worked extensively in commercial and industrial advertising, and made some of the first attempts to develop Canadian children's literature. Among his many accomplishments, Thorson has been credited for designing beloved animated characters Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Bugs Bunny.

: Community Players of Winnipeg fonds; Two lawyers, H.A.V. Green and C. Alan Crowley, established The Community of Players of Winnipeg as an amateur theatre group in 1921. Their mandate included providing facilities for the production of plays written by Canadian authors as well as providing Canadian playwrights and Canadian players the opportunity to practice their art and obtain national recognition. Support for the theatre group came in the form of memberships and subscriptions. The Community Players offered four major productions every season and often mounted additional productions. The change of name from the Community Players to Winnipeg Little Theatre must have occurred after 1932 although the date is not clearly defined. The fonds consists of programmes from 1923-1930, newspaper clippings, Treasurer's Reports of the 1927 and 1928 season, The Bill from 1928 to 1937, Little Theatre Gossip, correspondence, typescripts of speeches and historical summaries.

: E. Cora Hind fonds; Ella Cora Hind, an agricultural writer and agriculture editor for the Manitoba Free Press, was known as an authority on agriculture, livestock, and wheat yields. Her opinion influenced prices on the Winnipeg Grain Exchange and western grain crops for several years. She was one of the first female writers and editors of the Manitoba Free Press. She was also a champion of women's suffrage and a strong supporter of the Women's Christian Temperance Union and the Political Equality League.

: Hilda Morrish fonds; Hilda Morrish grew up in Hove, England and joined the Women's Royal Naval Service in 1940. Morrish's parents were pacifists and disapproved of her joining the WRNS. Their disapproval led to her request for a transfer to civilian work assisting tha arriving United States Army in Gloucester, Cheltenham. Morrish was later in Paris on VE Day and toured France and Germany immediately following the war. The digitized material on this site includes images of black and white photographs taken by Hilda Morrish with a Voigtlander 35 mm camera. The photographs were developed and printed in a makeshift photo lab in a hotel bathroom. A bidet was used to wash the prints and an enlarger to magnify the images.

: Jill Oakes fonds; Jill Oakes received a Bachelor of Human Ecology (1975), an Education Certificate (1976), a Master's of Science (1985) and a Ph.D (1988) from the University of Manitoba. Oakes began lecturing at the University of Manitoba in 1987 and has also lectured as an adjunct professor in the Departments of Anthropology and Human Ecology at the University of Alberta. She has served as research associate for the Canadian Circumpolar Institute at the University of Alberta and from 1993-1994, was Chair of Northern Studies, Department of Native Studies at Trent University. Oakes' work with museum collections has taken her on collecting trips to Greenland, Northwest Territories, Alaska, and the far east of Russia. Oakes has researched, coordinated and curated many exhibitions. Featured here are records documenting Oakes' research and involvement with the Minnguq Sewing Group.

: Kathleen Rice fonds; Kathleen Rice, a former math teacher, and her brother, Lincoln, decided to stake a homestead near The Pas, Manitoba. Lincoln joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force but Kathleen decided to stay on the homestead alone. After teaching herself about geology and prospecting, she headed to the Herb Lake area north of The Pas. She claimed an island - later called Rice Island - in Weksusko Lake, which turned out to be very rich in copper and nickel. The fonds includes newsclippings about Rice and manuscripts and drawings by Rice about her time in Northern Manitoba.

: Manitoba Eastern European Heritage Society fonds; The Manitoba Eastern European Heritage Society fonds documents the architecture, art, and history of the province’s Ukrainian Byzantine-rite churches. The project was inspired by a desire for knowledge of the architectural history as well as mutual concern for the spiritual future of Eastern European churches in Manitoba.

: McLuhan the Manitoban; Herbert Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980) is widely recognized as the pioneer of contemporary media studies, including media literacy. He was brought up in the Fort Rouge area of Winnipeg and received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Manitoba. McLuhan eventually earned a PhD from Cambridge University, and became a professor of English literature, prophetic poet, satirist, and renowned communications visionary & media commentator. Virtually everything for which Marshall McLuhan became internationally renowned was already evident in his public writings as a young man living in Winnipeg and studying at the University of Manitoba. Several articles written for The Manitoban between 1930 and 1934 have been digitized here by The University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections with the permission of the Estate of Marshall McLuhan.

: Rare books collection; Rare books and various other printed or manuscript materials covering a wide variety of areas are held in Archives & Special Collections. The collection numbers approximately 30,000 volumes and is constantly expanding. Included in the collection are the Dysart Memorial Collection of Rare Books & Manuscripts, the St. John's College Rare Book Collection, and the Slavic Rare Book Collection. Further subject strengths of the Rare Book Collection are in Canadiana, particularly in Canadian Prairie literature, social history, immigration, agricultural development of western Canada, and early Arctic exploration; early native language syllabics; church history and philosophy; bibles (including the 1611 King James Bible); and English literature.

: Stobie Family fonds - Theatre, Ballet and Concert Programs; William and Margaret Stobie were English professors at the University of Manitoba with strong connections to the local and national theatre communities. William served a term as President of the Winnipeg Little Theatre Group. Margaret spent several years acting, producing and directing local theatre as well as working for the CBC in various dramatic roles. This digital collection consists of theatre, ballet and concert programs dating from 1936 to 1979 collected by the Stobie's. Included are programs from the Winnipeg Little Theatre Group, Shoestring Theatre, University of Manitoba Stage and Glee Clubs, Children's Theatre, Manitoba Drama Festival, Winnipeg Summer Theatre Association, Manitoba Drama League, Theatre 77, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and many more.

: The Cultural Landscape of the Fort Garry Campus; This report is a tool to help inform the planning and design of the University of Manitoba’s Fort Garry campus, particularly its open spaces and green spaces. The research presented here is meant as a resource for the University and design consultants in this work. It is also intended to be an input for an eventual Landscape Master Plan for the campus. The intent in applying this information to landscape planning and design is to reflect and emphasize the Indigenous and environmental histories of the land on which the campus sits, making them visible and significant components of the campus environment, and recognizing them as a crucial part of campus’ culture, heritage, and identity. The document represents a starting point. It does not set or define parameters, but rather offers themes, ideas, and issues to be explored and built upon when undertaking landscape planning work.

: Walter Rudnicki fonds; Walter Rudnicki (Eagle Shield) (1925 - 2010) was a passionate advocate for Aboriginal rights in Canada. For most of his life he worked relentlessly as a public servant and private consultant to improve lives of Canadian Aboriginal Peoples. Rudnicki, as a public servant and a private consultant, worked with both the Government and Aboriginal Peoples revealing problems with their relationship. This collection consists of the reports written by Walter Rudnicki as a private consultant.

: Winnipeg Tribune Personalities Collection; The Winnipeg Tribune Personalities Collection consists of nearly 15,000 photographs of diverse persons of local, national, or international renown, taken by Tribune photographers, which were organized by Tribune staff into alphabetical files by the individuals' last names. Included in the Personalities Collection are former Canadian Prime Ministers and American Presidents; former Manitoba Premiers; influential Canadians; and. Canadian cultural figures. Many other photographers depict the lives of everyday Manitobans and Canadians and reflect the diversity of Canada's population through photographs of Canadians of varied ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

: Winnipeg Tribune fonds; The Winnipeg Tribune, one of western Canada's oldest newspapers, was founded in 1890 by L.R. Richardson and D.L. McIntyre who scraped together $7000 to take over the press and premises of the old Winnipeg Sun. Struggling under the restraints of outdated equipment and no telegraph service, the new paper survived and with the aid of Winnipeg's growing population and economic boom fast became a viable alternative to the rival Winnipeg Free Press. While primarily regarded as an independent liberal paper covering local events and personalities, the Tribune also reported on national and international news. After 90 years of operation, the Winnipeg Tribune ceased publication unexpectedly in August of 1980 as a result of negotiations between competing newspaper chains.