About the Ontario Historical County Maps Project

The Ontario Historical County Maps Project brings new life to one of the most valuable sources of settlement history in eastern Canada. Created between 1856 and 1888, these large wall maps captured the survey grid, transportation networks, towns, buildings, and—most importantly—the names of rural residents. They also documented agricultural, cultural, and natural features, offering a unique window into the lives and landscapes of nineteenth-century communities.

In total, fifty-four counties were mapped during this period, with the majority produced between 1859 and 1869. Thirty-two of these maps cover Ontario, while the remainder span other parts of eastern Canada. A handful of Ontario maps were even revised to produce second editions. Today, only a limited number of originals survive, most in fragile condition and scattered across libraries and archives.

Project outcomes

This project compiles and transforms the information preserved in these maps into Geographic Information Systems (GIS) datasets. Land ownership, cultural details, and records of environmental change will be digitized and made available alongside high-quality raster versions of the original maps. The results will be accessible through a searchable web mapping application, ensuring that researchers, educators, and the public can explore these rare materials.

At its core, the project is about accessibility and preservation—making nineteenth-century land ownership maps and their cultural-historical insights available for generations to come.

More information

Visit the project website for more details and the online interactive map:
Ontario Historical County Maps Website

Contact us for questions:
mdl@library.utoronto.ca

Ontario Historical County Maps

Associated libraries

Team

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