New photos showcase history of Winnipeg Transit

Archivists have added more than 6,000 photos from the city’s transit history to the Winnipeg Archives.

From horse-drawn carts to street cars to the current fleet of buses, Winnipeg Transit has evolved significantly, and now Winnipeggers can get a glimpse of how the service has evolved with a new set of photos.

More than 6,000 photos of Winnipeg Transit history were recently donated to the City of Winnipeg Archives and digitized.

“It’s really a remarkable collection,” said Sarah Ramsden, the city’s senior archivist.

Ramsden said the collection was housed in more than 26 binders from Transit, who asked them to help preserve the items to ensure they weren’t lost to time.

The collection includes photos dating back to the 1880s, showing horse-drawn carts and street cars ferrying Winnipeggers between destinations in some photos.

“There’s really something in this collection for everyone,” Ramsden said. “For transit enthusiasts, there are all the transit vehicles, transit infrastructure and transit bases that are captured, and there’s also so many records of the built environment, showing what Winnipeg buildings have been present over the years, and looking to see how many of these buildings are still there.”

“There’s incredible street views showing Winnipeg neighbourhoods and communities.”

Ramsden said Gwen Friesen, an archives intern, was instrumental in helping scan and catalogue the items, and the Manitoba Transit Heritage Association helped with research.

The collection resides at the City of Winnipeg archives, but some of the photos are available to view online. An exhibit showcasing some of the photos is also available to view at city hall.