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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Western Manitoba Regional Library

Brandon, Manitoba

Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Brandon.

Explore the Archive Institution Website
7Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1917 to 2026Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

444,688Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Brandon, Manitoba.

Discover another side of Brandon, Manitoba through newspapers preserved in the Western Manitoba Regional Library's digital archive. Its seven titles include material from 1917 to 2026.

You can open the archive using the link below.
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 Explore the Archive

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  • Selected titles

    Explore titles such as “Brandon Daily Sun” and “The Brandon Weekly Sun”, shared by Western Manitoba Regional Library.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • A closer look

    A familiar name or event takes on another dimension in the newspaper coverage of its time, alongside the stories that mattered to the readers of that issue.

The reporting of earlier years offers a way to explore how events were understood as they happened and how local experiences became part of the historical record. A family story, a classroom project or curiosity about a familiar place can lead to a closer look at the community and the lives of earlier generations. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.

Explore the collection

Titles in this collection

Browse seven titles and 444,688 digitized pages, with material from 1917 to 2026. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Western Manitoba Regional Library shares these sources from the past. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Bring a person, place or date you recognize, and browse the titles below for a first clue in the story you want to follow.

Brandon Daily Sun

8 pages in 1918

Brandon Sun

1,856 pages in 2024

Brandon Sun

11,610 pages from 2024 to 2025

Brandon Sun

155,206 pages from 2009 to 2020

The Brandon Daily Sun

235,150 pages from 1917 to 1959

The Brandon Sun

40,806 pages from 2019 to 2026

The Brandon Weekly Sun

52 pages in 1919

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About the Library

About Western Manitoba Regional Library

The Western Manitoba Regional Library (WMRL) was founded in 1967 and serves the communities of the City of Brandon, the Towns of Carberry and Neepawa, the Municipalities of Glenboro South Cypress, Grassland, and the Rural Municipality of North Cypress – Langford. WMRL provides essential library services to these areas and is financially supported by a library tax levied by the communities it serves, along with operational grants from the provincial government of Manitoba.

Western Manitoba Regional Library photo 1

Library History

The History Of Western Manitoba Regional Library

Since its founding in 1967, the Western Manitoba Regional Library has grown into a key institution providing public library services across the region. Initially serving a handful of communities, WMRL now operates four branch libraries in Brandon, Carberry, Glenboro, Hartney, and Neepawa. The day-to-day operations and policies of these libraries are managed by a volunteer Board of Trustees, consisting of representatives from each supported community. The archives provided by the WMRL have become a crucial resource for preserving the history and heritage of the region.

About the Community

About Western Manitoba

Western Manitoba is known for its strong agricultural base, scenic landscapes, and tight-knit communities. The region has a rich history, particularly in farming and industry, which continues to shape its identity today. The communities within Western Manitoba, including Brandon and Neepawa, play an important role in Manitoba’s development and growth. The area is culturally diverse, with a growing population that draws on its historical roots while embracing progress and development.

Local History

Did You Know?

Did you know that the Western Manitoba Regional Library was one of the first regional libraries established in Manitoba? The WMRL system was founded in 1967 and continues to thrive, providing essential resources, programs, and historical archives to the public.

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Follow a report into its setting

The history of Brandon includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the Western Manitoba Regional Library, begin with a name, place or date connected with the story you want to explore. When using historical newspapers, try alternate spellings and nearby dates, then read the surrounding page to place a local story in its time. Compare later reporting or another available title to explore different perspectives rather than treating one account as the whole story. Read the headline and neighboring articles as well as the matching lines. The surrounding page can show whether a report is local news, an editorial, or another kind of account; compare its details with later coverage where available.

Take a place or institution mentioned in a report as a new search lead. Check the issue date and read nearby articles to see how the setting is described. Preserve historical names and boundaries as written, and compare another dated reference before connecting the place to a present-day location.

Record which title, date, page, or item supports a useful lead. Mark unanswered questions before connecting it to a family or community story. A similar name can point you toward another source, but it is not proof of identity.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Western Manitoba Regional Library, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.

Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.

Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.

Learn about partnerships
Read All About It

Stories, research tips, and archive news

Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.

Newest published articles

March 18, 2025

It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?

We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
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