RM of Springfield Municipal & Historical Archives

07/18/2026

Springfield Archives are looking for passionate individuals to continue making our collection accessible to the public.

We could use your help with:
• Sorting, cataloguing, and filing incoming materials for the collection,
• Assisting visitors with finding information (family histories, births, marriages, deaths, land ownership, tax rolls, school records),
• Responding to inquiries by phone and email,
• Drafting and publishing historical content for the page, and
• Preparing materials for public exhibits, as needed (for example, Remembrance Day).

As a volunteer, you'll be provided with initial training and it’s expected in time, you'll work independently on the above tasks. Also, you will be expected to follow our collection care policies and maintain confidentiality of our records and visitor requests.

You must be available on Wednesdays during the day from 10am-12 noon and/or 1pm-4pm. Hours and frequency can be flexible (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly), but any amount of time would be appreciated. Familiarity with a desktop computer and using Microsoft Word is an asset.

Interested individuals are invited to speak with Yvonne or Audrey at the Archives (located inside Springfield Library). Stop by 60024 Highway 206 or call 204-853-7447 and leave a message.

05/11/2026

Springfield Archives shares the sad news of the recent passing of a long-time volunteer, Lawrie Kyle. We extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends 💕

For 15 years he spent most every Wednesday at the Archives and he will be greatly missed, not only by his fellow volunteers but also the many visitors who benefitted from his vast knowledge of the people, events, and pioneer families in Springfield.

Lawrie began his time at the Archives in the fall of 2011 - looking for "something to do", a project he could work on at his own pace. Given his long career as an educator, Lawrie was well-suited to the monumental task of organizing the history of Springfield's schools - more than a century of student records, teachers notes, class photos, trustees, yearbooks, and reunions.

He was also instrumental in salvaging dozens of photos of the original school houses from obscurity. Being packed away and forgotten did not sit well with Lawrie and thanks to his efforts, the collection is now on display at the Archives.

He later focussed on the history of churches in Springfield, capturing the milestones and celebrations of all faiths in the municipality. That project naturally led to the local cemeteries, for which Lawrie spent countless hours matching municipal records to obituaries, headstone photos, and burial maps. He also made field trips to verify information on-site, and sometimes the cemetery was actually in a farmer's field!

Lawrie's time at the Archives was invaluable, not only for what he accomplished but also for his friendly manner and welcoming presence with everyone who stopped by. No matter the topic, he always had time for a question (or several!) - he usually knew the answer and often went on to tell a story about it, too.

Lawrie leaves big shoes to fill, but we are grateful for his curated collections. They will be of great interest to visitors and future historians.

We invite you to see where Lawrie spent his Wednesdays, and to check out our other collections at the Springfield Archives.

Yvonne Mavins, Audrey Bodnaruk, Rob Mangles, Pat Bobko, Monica Ptak and past volunteer Diann Huley.

07/01/2024

Happy Canada Day, Springfield 🇨🇦🍁❣️

06/06/2024

June 6, 1944 - 80 years ago - D-Day happened on the northern coast of France 🇫🇷 That campaign changed the course of World War II and helped end the fighting less than a year later.

Have you noticed …

On the walls of the municipal office are framed photos and biographies of 3 men from Springfield who served in WW2? Roderick McLeod, Michael Chabluk, and Thomas Wilkinson - heroes all 🇨🇦

Did you know …

There are lakes in Manitoba named after these men? They recognize their service, acknowledge their bravery, and keep a memory of their lives.

Also included is a list of those who served in WW2, as published in the blue history book of Springfield. There were many local families with multiple members who volunteered. And several women’s names appear in the list, including 3 from the Golebioski family.

Our veterans collection includes photos, attestation papers, and stories about the hundreds of local men and women who served in WW2 and other wars going back to the times of Louis Riel.

We welcome loans or donations of memorabilia about veterans. Feel free to contact us to see what we’re missing.

We also welcome visitors who want to learn, celebrate, and remember Springfield’s history 🌾

06/04/2024

Here are a few photos with captions about the history of Dugald, starting in the 1870s.

The town was named after Dugald Gillespie, who was instrumental in the area’s development with his various enterprises. Soon other families settled here and established businesses and services in the community. Many of their descendants still live in Springfield.

Some older residents can recall events held in these buildings. If you have a moment, ask them about those times and what they remember. It’s always great to hear of history from those who lived it!

These photos are displayed in a collage inside the Dugald Community Club. Check them out the next time you’re there. And plan a summer visit to the Archives to see what we have ☀️

05/30/2024

Have you ever seen a piece of land described as something like “NE 36-10-5E” and wondered what it meant?

It’s like a code that identifies a specific location -
by quarter (NE),
by section (36),
by township (10), and
by range (5, east of the Meridian)

Having this information can pin-point a location anywhere in western and mid-Canada. The “meridian” runs north-south through Manitoba and Springfield falls east of that dividing line. Not sure how far east of Manitoba this system was used.

Back in the 1800s when this area was being settled, the province divided the land into grids and sold the pieces to homesteaders and immigrants who agreed to clear the parcel of trees and stones, put in crops, build houses, and raise animals. Certain areas for schools and railway development were set aside in the initial plan, but sometimes later sold for homesteads or businesses.

Rural properties are still described this way on property tax bills and in real estate transactions.

Stop by the Archives to see the maps of Springfield. We can find the location of any piece of land.

Dare to stump us - we’re up for the challenge!

Dominion map courtesy of Alex McPhee at awmcphee.ca.

05/20/2024

On this Victoria Day long weekend - Here’s another memory of a Royal visit in Springfield, but this one goes back to 1901!

Did you know - The Duke and Duchess of York came to Manitoba as part of a tour across Canada, making a stop here for him to go duck hunting in Oakbank 🦆 🛶

The Duke and Duchess later became King George V and Queen Mary, the grandparents of the late Queen Elizabeth II. They were on the throne from 1910-1936.

05/14/2024

A memory from October 1984, when Queen Elizabeth II came to Dugald and visited the collection at the Dugald Costume Museum.

The photo here shows her being greeted by our then-Reeve Jack Nicol and his wife Eva at his right.

Our thanks to the Springfield Women’s Institute for their writings about the day.

Come see our display at the Archives 😊 We’re located inside the Springfield Library (and what used to be the Dugald Costume Museum).

04/24/2024

The photo of this building might look familiar - it’s what we know today as the “old Chinese restaurant”. There’s a long history of various businesses in that location.

And here’s one - On July 21, 1976 the Carillon published a lengthy article about Oakbank, which included some memories from Pat Watson.

04/19/2024

It’s great to hear about the Vaags family of Dugald and their generous donation in the community 🙌

The family came from Holland 75 years ago and have made significant contributions to the fabric of Springfield ever since.

Read the article about them in this week’s edition of The Clipper (which appears as a comment for this post).

To honour their heritage, and in recognition of 75 years since Johan and Hanna Vaags and their four sons arrived in Canada from Holland, the Vaags family have come together to donate over $36,000 to Dugald Place Assisted Living Residence.