Map Resources

Maps

Calgary maps (G3564 .C3) dating back to 1880s. Scans of early maps are available to download at the Digital Historic Maps page

Many early maps were “Land Agent” maps and are more advertising, or conceptual than accurate

Alberta County maps (G3563). Arranged by County, MD, ID or SA

Saskatchewan Rural Municipality maps (G3553). Arranged numerically

Prairie Township Plans (G3530 s31); ca.1870s-1940s / Hard copy holdings focus on southern Alberta. Arranged by M-R-T-S

• Discover and access Calgary area plans via web map app

Online Township Survey and Field Notes can sometime be searched via Provincial Registry websites, federally from Canada Lands Surveys. For Alberta, these maps, along with Surveyors' Field Notes are available from SPIN2

Alberta rural directory maps by Cummins Map Co. (1918 & 1927 in hard copy at SANDS; 1923 Alberta edition available online and on microfilm (G1115 .C84 1923 MICROFILM) / Microfilm version also has some areas of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, however not well organized.

Prairie Sectional Maps (G3530 s190 & G1166 C5 C34 V.1-2); ca. 1891-1950 [print holdings not complete]. See Sectional .kml file below for links to scanned maps using Google Earth. Maps show towns, trails, railways and DLS grid. Used as a base at various scales for other “lands disposed of” series. / Precursor to NTS topographic series (G3400)

Provides links to 1 to 3 mile scale sectional maps, with coverage mainly of the prairies. **Try our new Sectional Maps web app to locate and access these maps**

Ontario, Quebec and Maritimes County Atlases (G1148) / Many older editions are also available online via the Canadian County Digital Atlas Project

Association of Canadian Map Library and Archives (ACMLA) – Historical Maps Facsimile series / G1116 S1 H58 1980 & G3401 S1 svar). A list is available here.

Historical National Topographic System (NTS): 1:50,000 Scale Maps, Data, & GIS - This collection provides open access to digitized historical maps at the 1:50,000 scale, covering towns, cities, and rural areas in Canada over the period of 1948 to the early 21st century.

 

European Maps

Guide to help search for historic placenames in Europe - click to download pdf

Austro-Hungarian Empire
1:200,000 Mitteleuropa map series published in Vienna between 1877 and 1914

Historic Eastern European Maps
The Federation of East European Family History Societies (FEEFHS) was organized in 1992 as an umbrella organization that promotes family research in eastern and central Europe without any ethnic, religious, or social distinctions

Austria-Hungary Empire (Central Europe) - Print: G6500 .F1 560 1857 (on 4 sheets) / Microfiche: G6030 .S75 1876. Scanned maps can be downloaded below. Note: Subtract 17 degrees, 40 minutes from longitude for Greenwich-based co-ordinates.

NW - (Full Record)	NE - (Full Record)
SW - (Full Record)	SE - (Full Record)
Link to catalogue record

Foreign topographic maps: we have most countries at a 1:250,000 or 1:500,000 scale, some countries at 1:50,000, 1:62,260 or 1:100,000, as well as many international city maps

 Fire Insurance Plans

Good coverage of Calgary (1911-1960s). Selective holdings for other Canadian cities and towns. Click here for more information

• Calgary 1911-1914 fire insurance plan - access via web map app

Several Canadian locations are available online [search: Fire Insurance Plans] at Libraries and Archives Canada

All Canadian holdings are listed in Occasional paper (Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives) ; no. 6

Bibliographies

Sectional maps of Western Canada, 1871-1955 - GA473.7 .D84 1989. See also other works in the series by ACMLA

Map index to topographic quadrangles of the United States, 1882-1940, GA405 .M63 1986

 Gazetteers, and Place name finding aids

The Library has several worldwide gazetteers and can also provide assistance in finding online resources. See also under Map Tools.

Selected Historical Online Map Sources

Various Canadian, American and United Kingdom websites are listed here which contain historic maps

 

Contact Information:

Spatial and Numeric Data Services
Rm 466, Taylor Family Digital Library
Telephone: 403-220-6822
Email: maps@ucalgary.ca