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Census of the Northwest Provinces, 1906
Census Districts and Maps |
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This listing allows researchers to find the census districts and sub-districts under which the 1906 returns were enumerated. Knowledge of the district and sub-district is helpful for finding individual households within a community.
This listing also provides links to the electoral maps of the Prairie Provinces that were published by the federal government in 1906. The Electoral Atlas of the Dominion of Canada (published in 1906) did not include electoral maps for the census districts of Alberta North or Saskatchewan North. Since the 1906 census districts and the 1906 electoral districts generally followed the same boundaries, the electoral maps provide researchers with an important visual representation of the districts that were enumerated in the 1906 Census.
The census districts and electoral maps are organized by province:
Land Descriptions
The census sub-districts in western Canada were based on the unique checkerboard survey developed for the prairies by the Canadian government. This system covered 200 million acres and is the world's largest survey grid laid down in a single integrated system. It led to the creation of more than 1.25 million homesteads.
The basic unit of the survey is the 36-square mile township. The townships are arranged in rows that run parallel to the international border (the 49th parallel). Each row is numbered progressively from the border, with the row closest to the border numbered 1, the second closest numbered 2, etc. The townships in each row are, in turn, distinguished from one another by their distance or range from a meridian. The column of townships closest to the meridian are designated as range 1, the second closest as range 2, etc. Generally, the ranges are numbered from east to west (the exception being the ranges on the east side of the
Principal Meridian, which are numbered from west to east).
The federal surveyors established seven major meridians, which acted as base lines for surveying and numbering the townships. The first (or principal or prime) meridian was established on the international border, near Emerson, Manitoba, at longitude 97° 27' 28'' W (of Greenwich). Subsequent meridians were surveyed at consistent intervals along more regular longitudes. For example, the second meridian falls on the 102° longitude (near the present-day Manitoba-Saskatchewan border), the third on 106°, the fourth on 110° (which also constitutes the Alberta-Saskatchewan border), the fifth on 114°, the sixth on 118° and the coast meridian on 122°. Townships are described according to the last meridian that lies to the east of the township. Therefore, a homestead in southern Alberta is described as "W4M" or "W4" or west of the fourth meridian. Only lands located along the east side of the prime meridian take their description from the meridian along their west side. Therefore, a homestead near the Manitoba-Ontario border is described as located "EPM" or "E1" or east of the
principal meridian.
As an example, sub-district 26 in the census district of Assiniboia West (see the section "How to Use the Electoral Maps") is described as consisting of "townships 15 to 18 inclusive in ranges 17, 18 west of the 2nd M." In other words, sub-district 26 consists of the townships west of the 2nd meridian that lie in rows 15 to 18 and columns 17 and 18.
How to Use the Electoral Maps
Knowledge of the census districts and sub-districts is absolutely crucial for finding individual families within any community in the 1906 Census. In order to assist researchers in finding the proper sub-district, the National Archives of Canada has provided scanned copies of the 1906 electoral districts maps. For the most part, the 1906 census districts used the same boundaries as the 1906 electoral districts.
The maps are organized by province. Clicking on a province name, will take the researcher to a listing of all the census districts. Clicking on a census district name will, in turn, take a researcher to a map of the district, followed by a written description of all the associated census sub-districts (as provided in The Canada Gazette, May 26, 1906, pg. 2570-2579). The maps also show the relative placement of the census sub-district within the district. If a researcher is interested in a community in southwestern Saskatchewan, for example, researchers can use the electoral map for the district of Assiniboia West to narrow their search to sub-districts 7 to 12.
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