The Archives of Manitoba invites the public to learn more about Manitoba’s history by visiting its blog and new exhibit commemorating the 100th anniversary of the First World War. This announcement was made by Tourism, Culture, Heritage, Sport and Consumer Protection Minister Ron Lemieux.
“We have a proud history and, through the work of the archives, a great showcase of our heritage is available for all Manitobans to see,” said Minister Lemieux. “Manitoba Day, May 12, is the perfect opportunity to get to know what it was like to be a Manitoban 100 years ago.”
The Archives of Manitoba will commemorate the centenary of the First World War with an initiative called At Home and Away: Remembering the First World War through records at the Archives of Manitoba. Over the next four years, original wartime records will be highlighted through the archives’ new blog and Twitter account as well as in exhibits at the archives. Original photographs, letters and diaries will be available to the public online and at 200 Vaughan St. in Winnipeg. The first exhibit includes photographs from 1914 to 1915, taken in and around Winnipeg by well-known Canadian photographer, L.B. Foote.
The archives strives to make its records available to Manitobans and has made digital images of some archival records available online through the archives’ Keystone database, the minister said. The database holds more than 14,000 digital images of photographs, cartographic records and over 90 hours of audio recordings. These records represent only a small portion of the entire collection that includes records of the Manitoba government, the Hudson’s Bay Company, individuals and organizations, he said.
