Pictou County Maps:
1878 Pictou County Map
Pictou County Historic Maps:
1878 Pictou County Map
1878 Pictou County Map, created by the Roe Brothers
Historical Maps are a great resource to help learn geography at a particular point in time. They can be used to locate exactly where someone’s ancestors lived, as well as the layout of neighborhood and surrounding areas.
Life in 1878 was largely dependent on the environment and the occupation of the individuals living there. Those living in rural areas were almost entirely dependent on farming and the resources of the land, while those living in urban areas typically had more diverse sources of income. Transportation was often limited and communication was difficult. Despite the many challenges, life in Canada in 1878 was largely peaceful and prosperous. This was a period of great economic growth and development, with a strong sense of national identity and pride.
This 1878 New Pictou County map was one of several hand colored maps featured in the Atlas of the Maritime Provinces of the Dominion of Canada, that contained a combination of maps, and historical and geological descriptions.
Each County of Nova Scotia was featured on its own page, drawn with a Rectangular polyconic projection, illustrating administrative boundaries, settlements, railroads, and many other topographical features.
As you can see from the map, Pictou County was once divided into three sub-counties, townships or regions: Pictou (western portion), Egerton (central region), and Maxwelton (eastern portion). You may also notice the importance of the railways and the role they played almost 100 years before the construction of the Trans Canada Highway. And that some Pictou County place names have changed over time.
You can use the online viewer below to zoom in closer to areas of the map to see more details.
How to Obtain Digital Copies
Title: County of Pictou, Nova Scotia (Atlas of the Maritime Provinces of the Dominion of Canada)
Creator: Roe Brothers
Date: 1878
This map, is one page from the 1878 Atlas of the Maritime Provinces of the Dominion of Canada, that contained a combination of historical and geological descriptions. The map was drawn on the rectangular polyconic projection, from surveys. Drawn and published by Roe Brothers, (A.D. & W.B. Roe). St. John, N.B. 1878.
High resolution scanned map reproductions (displayed below) of this map has been made available courtesy of the David Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries. The David Rumsey Map Collection was started over 30 years ago and contains more than 150,000 maps.
You can Download a digital copy of the 1878 Pictou County Map by clicking here: https://pictoucounty.net/Pictou-County-Maps/1878-Pictou-County-Map.pdf or view it online (further down on this page).
The Center of Geographic Sciences in Lawrencetown also provides a high resolution scan of the 1878 Pictou County Map (no downloads, online use only) from the W. K. Morrison Special Collection (a mixed collection of more than 2000 historical maps, atlases, periodicals and books focused on early mapping of Atlantic Canada). They also have other 1878 county maps from this atlas available.
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