Maps and Plans

These documents convey graphically the development of the province, from the age of the first explorers to the present day. While the earliest examples are often vastly inaccurate, they reveal the changing interpretation of the topography, arising from increased exploration, more sophisticated measuring instruments and accumulated knowledge. The Archives has approximately 50,000 maps and survey plans, containing information on boundaries, landforms, fortifications, waterways, railways, roads, and the growth of communities. These are indexed by category or purpose, geographical location, and name of cartographer or surveyor.

Crown land surveys represent the largest and most frequently consulted group of cartographic records. Approximately 10,000 plans for the 19th and 20th centuries show boundaries, allocation of land, and tracts reserved for timber and mineral resources, mills, wharves, roads and railways.

Large-scale atlases and county survey plans were produced during the latter half of the 19th century. These published surveys cover towns, villages and dispersed settlements; they show locations of buildings, identify residents, and list names and occupations of individuals who subscribed to the works.

Of popular interest is a small number of panoramic maps, or bird's-eye views of New Brunswick towns and cities. Such views were produced for many locations in Canada during the period 1870 to 1910 and, while not drawn to scale, they are reasonably accurate representations of street patterns, building locations and landscape features.