Vintage Views of Birtle: Arthur Lawrence Photos
The Birdtail Country Museum is fortunate to have a collection of glass negatives of early Birtle. Nearly all the pictures after 1903 were by Mr Arthur Lawrence, who lived in Birtle and took thousands of pictures of Birtle and the surrounding area.
If you have any more information on these images, we would appreciate hearing from you. Please drop us an email.
Looking southeast, taken sometime between 1899 (building of the Patterson block) and 1904 (building of the Taylor house on southeast corner of 9th and St. Clare).
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Another view from roughly the same location.
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This image highlights the H. A. Manwaring block, which is still used. The date would be between between 1893 (building of stone Beirnes building) and 1907 (completion of the Union Bank building)
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Arrow Mill, looking northeast.
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The Manitoba Historical Society notes that the remains of the mill have been marked with a commemorative sign.
The Town Hall, built in 1909.There is a memorial garden there now, which features the bell which hung in the Town Hall.
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This might be the original Walley store (looking southwest), next to their more recognizable second building which was only recently demolished. At the moment the location has been rented by Mainline Motors to display cars.
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Looking west down St. Clare, near the intersection with 9th. The cinder block house, built in 1904, is still there. The Baptist church across St. Clare was moved and repurposed as a tourist booth. There is a small white rectangle far in the back, to the right of the road, which may be the ruins of the Stone School. These were demolished in 1919.
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A view of the north side of main street, probably between 1897 and 1909. Note the wooden sidewalks.
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A similar view, but an army parade in 1942. This is from the Elsie Berry Album in the Birdtail Country Museum. This is not a Lawrence photo.
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Rossin House, where the new pharmacy building is now.
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The train station, looking northeast.
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Please note that some of the images have been digitally retouched to remove dust and other marks.
Other historical views of Birtle can be found in the Bruce Peel Special Collections Library at the University of Alberta.