This guide provides links to important, substantial, and freely available collections of primary sources dealing with Canadian history. Each source has been chosen, evaluated, and/or annotated by members of RUSA's History Section.
Draws from the rich corpus of archival microfilm held by Library and Archives Canada, with a focus on fonds from the individuals and organizations that have shaped Canada's history. Politics, arts and literature, labour, military, aboriginal history, social justice and women's history are particular areas of strength.
Project intended to make the maps and data generated for the Historical Atlas of Canada available to a wider audience. The web site includes conventional text and image pages, with a focus on interactive maps.
The Virtual Museum of Canada is "the largest source of online content and experiences shared by large and small Canadian museums and heritage organizations." The online exhibits explore history, culture, science, and the arts.
Full-text collection of published documentary material, including monographs, government documents, and specialized or mass-market periodicals from the 16th to 20th centuries. Law, literature, religion, education, women’s history and aboriginal history are particular areas of strength.
Historical records of Canada from the 1500s through 1900s. It includes first-hand accounts of Samuel de Champlain's voyages in New France as well as the diary from Sir John Franklin's first land expedition to the Arctic, 1819-22.
A bilingual collection of digitized 16th century to 19th century books, maps, prints, and other documents housed at the Library of Congress and the Bibliothèque National de France.
Scholarly site documenting the age of the fur trade in Canada. Examines exploits of the North West Company and other Montreal-based fur trading companies at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century.
A rich historical source that describes Canadian and world events from the unique perspective of Canada's longest serving Prime Minister. Covers 1893 to 1950.
This digital archive contains the original correspondence between the British Colonial Office and the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia.
