Finding the past in our present
A bird's-eye view of winnipeg in 1884
Prior to the invention of photography and its wide-spread use, these intricate and beautifully drawn lithograph prints were as close as you could get to a "Bird's-Eye View" that would be recognizable as such today. This print hangs in our Display Room gallery at the Ross House Museum and provides not only a phenomenal view of the growing city, but a glimpse at some of the breath-taking architectural landmarks lost to time.
This map from W. G. Fonseca may not be as accurate as our Google Maps of today, but this view, along with other maps, accounts, and photographs from the period provide important information not only for historians, but everyone who wants to know a bit more about the city they live in.
Us at Ross House have done a bit of research, locating the buildings pictured around Forseca's map that are still standing, and have found information about the buildings that have sadly been lost to time. Hopefully, by learning a bit about this map, you're able to better appreciate the city around you and how much Winnipeg has changed over the course of almost 140 years.
Thank you to Ferron Guerreiro for their research, Jim Smith for their valuable knowledge about maps, and the Museum's curator Eric Napier Strong.
- Alyssa Homeniuk, Curatorial Assistant
This map from W. G. Fonseca may not be as accurate as our Google Maps of today, but this view, along with other maps, accounts, and photographs from the period provide important information not only for historians, but everyone who wants to know a bit more about the city they live in.
Us at Ross House have done a bit of research, locating the buildings pictured around Forseca's map that are still standing, and have found information about the buildings that have sadly been lost to time. Hopefully, by learning a bit about this map, you're able to better appreciate the city around you and how much Winnipeg has changed over the course of almost 140 years.
Thank you to Ferron Guerreiro for their research, Jim Smith for their valuable knowledge about maps, and the Museum's curator Eric Napier Strong.
- Alyssa Homeniuk, Curatorial Assistant
"Winnipeg, 1884" by W.G. Fonseca. Image Source: https://www.loc.gov/item/99463757/.
About the project
The first objective of this project was to locate the buildings pictured along the border of W.G. Fonseca's 'Winnipeg, 1884' map, and find out if they were still standing. The second objective of this project was to provide further information, either text or image based, to better contextualize these buildings and their histories within greater history of Winnipeg narrative and our present cityscape.
To make this project accessible, we plotted the addresses and co-ordinates on an interactive Google Map, along with other recognizable landmarks and significant places related to both Ross House Museum and our sister museum, Seven Oaks House Museum. If you're looking for an adventure in Winnipeg this summer, this is a great map to explore, either by foot, by bike, by transit, or by car.
Images of these buildings contemporary-to Fonseca's map are included where available, as well as more contemporary images to illustrate the sites' histories. They will be sited individually, and if you have any questions regarding the sources of these images or accompanying information, shoot us a DM on Facebook or Instagram, or an email. Sources can be found on each building's individual page.
To make this project accessible, we plotted the addresses and co-ordinates on an interactive Google Map, along with other recognizable landmarks and significant places related to both Ross House Museum and our sister museum, Seven Oaks House Museum. If you're looking for an adventure in Winnipeg this summer, this is a great map to explore, either by foot, by bike, by transit, or by car.
Images of these buildings contemporary-to Fonseca's map are included where available, as well as more contemporary images to illustrate the sites' histories. They will be sited individually, and if you have any questions regarding the sources of these images or accompanying information, shoot us a DM on Facebook or Instagram, or an email. Sources can be found on each building's individual page.
Click here to Follow Along with the interactive google map
