Aerial Photographs of the Thunder Bay Waterfront

Aerial photographs are any photographs taken from airborne vehicles. They have many practical uses in areas such as map compilation, urban and rural planning, environmental impact assessment, property appraisal, construction progress documentation, outdoor recreation, research, and art. Aerial photographs can have an advantage over maps as they can be updated more frequently, are easier to create and reproduce, can be taken in remote locations, and clearly show development in an area over time.

	Year:     1959 Creator: Aero Surveys Limited
	Year:     1969 Creator: Department of Highways of Ontario
	Year:     1974 Creator: Northway Survey Corporation
	Year:     1976
	Year:     1981
	Year:     1983 Creator: Northway-Gestalt Corporation
	Year:     1987
	Year:     1996 Creator: Air Surveys Limited
	Year:     2002 Creator: Northway Photomap Incorporated
	Year:     2007 Creator: ATLIS Geomatics Incorporated

• the relocation of docks
• the development of roads
• the construction of buildings
• the changing landscape of the Marina
• additions to boating facilities 

The Thunder Bay Archives and Records Centre preserves and digitizes the aerial photographs of the Fort William, Port Arthur, and Thunder Bay areas, and often reproduces older photographs to assist research done by members of the public. The aerial photographs housed in the Archives date back to 1949.

The photos here depict the development of the North and South Waterfront from 1959 to 2007. Photographs from 2002 and 2007, including composite aerials, are shown thanks to the City of Thunder Bay Planning Division. 

For more information on this subject, or any other subject of interest, please visit or contact the City of Thunder Bay Archives.