Manitoba Land and Property Records

Online Records

 * Search: Land Grants of Western Canada, 1870-1930
 * Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada, Homestead Grant Registers, 1872-1930, index and images ($)
 * Glenbow Archives CPR Land Sales database Sales of agricultural land by the Canadian Pacific Railway to settlers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, 1881 to 1927.
 * Canada, Soldier Homestead Grant Registers, 1918-1931, index and images, at Ancestry.com ($)

Red River Settlement Land Records, 1811-1892

 * The Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement) was a colonization project set up in 1811 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, on 300,000 square kilometres (120,000 sq mi) of land. This land was granted to him by the Hudson's Bay Company, which is referred to as the Selkirk Concession.
 * The first survey divided the land into river lots along the Red River from Pembina to Lower Fort Gary and along the Assiniboine River from the junction of the Red River to Portage la Prairie.
 * These river lots were long narrow lots similar to those in Quebec. Each lot had 660 feet of river frontage and extended back from the river to a road called the “Two Mile Road.” It then extended a further two miles to the “Four Mile Road.” The latter land was also called hay grazing or hay privilege land. There was also a road that ran parallel to the river.
 * Settlers held their land by grant or sale from the Hudson’s Bay Company. Records of the transactions were made by the Hudson’s Bay Company or the Council of Assiniboia.
 * Hudson's Bay Company Archives
 * Resources
 * Name Indexes

Dominion Lands Act

 * In 1869 Canada purchased land from Hudson's Bay Company which included the area that is now Manitoba.
 * In 1872 the Dominion Lands Act was created to encourage settlement.
 * Any male over the age of 21, or any female head of household, could apply for land.
 * There was a $10 fee.
 * The settler was granted 160 acres and had three years to clear at least 40 acres and build a permanent dwelling in order to keep the land.
 * Search: Land Grants of Western Canada, 1870-1930
 * Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada, Homestead Grant Registers, 1872-1930, index and images ($)

Archives of Manitoba Land Records
Additional records, not available online, can be found at the Archives of Manitoba:
 * Land Department Records: Deed Copy Books, 1893-1922
 * Hudson's Bay Company Archives – Common Research Topics: Hudson's Bay Company Farm Land Sales
 * Manitoba. Lands Branch (1930-1970)
 * Registers of Hudson's Bay Company land

Archives Contact Information
Archives of Manitoba 130-200 Vaughan St. Winnipeg, MB R3C 1T5 Canada E-mail:archives@gov.mb.ca Telephone: 204-945-3971 Toll Free (Manitoba only): 1-800-617-3588 Website

Research from a Distance
For those unable to visit the Archives in Winnipeg, there are several options for conducting research from a distance:
 * Borrow microfilm through inter-institutional loan, for records which have been microfilmed. See Microfilm Program for details.
 * Send your research questions by email or regular mail. Archives staff will provide information on our programs and services, and will do a very limited amount of research for clients, primarily to advise on relevant records held by the Archives. See Contact Us.
 * Consider hiring a professional researcher. See Researchers for Hire.
 * Obtain copies. The Archives can provide a limited number of copies of archival records. See Copy Services.

For Further Reading
The National Institute discusses land records in great detail in their articles:
 * Manitoba Land Records, Part 1 (National Institute)
 * Manitoba Land Records, Part 2 (National Institute)
 * Manitoba Land Records, Part 3 (National Institute)
 * Manitoba Land Records, Part 4 (National Institute)