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Locate sources relating to selected geographic areas and themes from Canada's past
Expo 67, Montreal's geodesic dome. Photo by Joe Wolf via Flickr.
Link to the themed sections on this page:
- Military
- Waterloo regional (local) history
- Indigenous peoples
- Race, gender, social justice
- UW's Special Collections lists
- Comprehensive collections, e.g., CBC Archives or Canadiana Online
Your research theme/subject is not listed? Try looking under one of the other tabs for a type of primary source, e.g., "Magazines & Newspapers" and target the time frame you are studying.
Military history
- Library and Archives Canada: Military HeritageRecords of Canadian men and women who served in the military, from New France to the Second World War. Find muster rolls, military service files, unit war diaries, medal registers, photographs, documentary art and posters, as well and more.
- CanadianaFind documents from 1st European contact to recent student activism, including items relating to Indigenous-settler relations, cookbooks, women's writings, and more.
Coverage: Pre-1970
- Cameron Clare Hill fondsFrom UWaterloo Library's Special Collections & Archives records related to Cameron’s military training, uniform and personal gear, and service overseas. Also included are records related to Cameron’s time as a prisoner of war and his liberation and repatriation home to Canada and his life in later years.
Coverage: 1939 - 2017 - Canadian Historical Association (CHA) bookletsFind short histories on several aspects of the Canadian military.
- Canadian Military GazetteCoverage: 1892-1896
- Canadian War Museum, OttawaFind educational resources and research aids.
- CBC Digital Archives on War and ConflictSee the list of topic covering conflicts and peace efforts from World War I to the present.
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC)Locate and identify fatalities and cemeteries as well as campaign histories for both world wars. Selected publications can be downloaded.
- Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament StudiesFind articles, photograph, videos, and blogs dealing with Canadian military history, as well as back issues of the Canadian Military History Journal, and a podcast series.
- Laurier Military History ArchiveIncludes wartime diaries of Sir Robert Borden, Canadian war diaries of the 1944 Normandy Campaign, and Canadian air photographs from Northwest Europe.
- Legion MagazineContains articles on each branch of the Canadian military and their operations, has sections on the Canadian home front, Canadian veterans, health, and current defense issues. Explore the “On This Date” feature to connect to Canada’s military history.
- Paper of RecordMaple Leaf (Army) newspaper. Available through Paper of Record, listed under UK, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Netherlands.
Coverage: 1944 - 1946
- Military History and HeritageGovernment of Canada. Records, research and publications about Canada’s military history, the Canadian Forces and the wars they fought. Contains research and writing of Canada’s official military histories. The History and Archives section provides official histories, an operational database, and photographs.
- National Archives, United KingdomFeatures a wealth of primary sources concerning both world wars, including diaries, government documents, maps, photographs and more, for online purchase.
- NFB.ca (National Film Board of Canada)Link to documentaries, animations, experimental films, and fiction produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
Coverage: 1930s - present
- Official Historiesvia National Defence and the Canadian Forces
- Wartime CanadaMaterial related to Canada’s role in the both world wars.
- Waterloo at WarThis site specifically focuses on members of Waterloo County's 118th Oversees Battalion and their activities. Via the Laurier Center for Military, Strategic, and Disarmament Studies.
Coverage: 1914 - 1918
Many of the links in this section were compiled and annotated by Joshua Pride under the direction of Prof. Geoffrey Hayes, Winter 2014. Updated 2021.
Indigenous peoples
- Indigenous Newspapers in North America (formerly American Indian Newspapers)Includes Canadian locations:
* "Caribou" from Flat Bay, Newfoundland
* "Indian" from Hagersville, Ontario
* "Kamloops Wawa" from Kamloops, British Columbia
* "Secwepemc" from Kamloops, British Columbia
* "Ashigiamuk" from Metlakatla, British Columbia
*"Caribou News" from Nepean, Ontario
- Indigenous heritagevia Library and Archives Canada
- CanadianaFind documents from 1st European contact to recent student activism, including items relating to Indigenous-settler relations, cookbooks, women's writings, and more.
Coverage: Pre-1970
- Gateway to Aboriginal Heritagevia the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
- Indian Affairs Annual ReportsCoverage: 1864 - 1990
- Indigenous Peoples materialsvia Special Collections & Archives, Dana Porter Library
- Indigenous Peoples of North AmericaFacilitates the study of invasion and colonization. Find materials relating to customs, dance, music, warfare, peace treaties, removal grants, legends, and myths.
Coverage: 1600s - 2000s
- Indigenous Studies PortalLink to books, articles, theses, documents, photographs, archival resources, and maps.
- Kitchitwa miteh atchimomasinahiganisaCatholic newsletter published in Alberta. Articles in Cree, French, and English.
Coverage: 1906 - 1920 - Native LandAn interactive map that identifies traditional territories of Indigenous peoples and their Western/colonial names.
- North American Indian Thought and CultureBiographies, autobiographies, speeches, diaries, letters, and oral histories on Indigenous peoples of North America.
Coverage: 17th century - present
- Peel's Prairie ProvincesSearch digitized books and newspaper issues that date back to the exploration and settlement of the Canadian west.
Coverage: 1800s - present - Royal Commission Report on Aboriginal PeoplesFinal report 1996
- Residential School Files SeriesDepartment of Indian Affairs. Contains admission and discharge records of students as well as files on the establishment of individual schools.
Look for the "Help" link to find a pdf file that lists specific volumes, schools, and agencies and the corresponding microfilm reel number.
Coverage: 1879 - 1953 - Treaties, Surrenders and AgreementsFinal report 2015
... via the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation - Windspeaker (digital archive)Coverage: 1986 - 2015
Race, gender, and social justice
- Race, Racism, and Anti-Racism: Critical Histories (focus on Canada)Section 5 on this page points to primary sources specifically.
- Independent Voices: an Open Access Collection of an Alternative PressPeriodicals by feminists, student radicals, Indigenous peoples, anti-war activists, Black rights advocates, two spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and asexual (2SLGBTQ+) activists, extreme right-wing press, and more.
Coverage: 1950s - present
- Rise Up: Feminist Digital ArchiveCoverage: 1970s - 1990s
- Blacks in Canada - 8 periodicals"Black Images" (1970s), "Black Voice" (1972-1973), "Canadian Freeman" (1825-1873 some years missing), Canadian Negro (1953-1956), "Contrast" (1969-1972), "Dawn of Tomorrow" (1923-1984 missing 1973), "Spear" (1974-1978), "Trad" (2020-present).
Coverage: 1825 - present - The Black Press in 19th-century Canada and BeyondThe Voice of the Fugitive (1851-1852)
The Provincial Freeman (1853-1876)
The Voice of the Bondsman (1856)
The True Royalist (1860-1861)
The Atlantic Advocate (1915-1917)
The Dawn of Tomorrow (1923-1972)
The Nova Scotia Gleaner (1929)
The Clarion--For Church and Community (1946-1949)
- Black Women's Suffrage Digital CollectionFind correspondence, speeches, event programs, oral histories, photos, and more relating to Black women’s rights, voting rights, and civic activism.
Coverage: 1850s - 1960s - CanadianaFind documents from 1st European contact to recent student activism, including items relating to Indigenous-settler relations, cookbooks, women's writings, and more.
Coverage: Pre-1970
- CBC Archives: Rights & FreedomsVideos from the 1960s - present
- Equality First: The Royal Commission on the Status of Women
- Gay and Lesbian Emergence: Out in Canada
- George Erasmus: Native Rights Crusader
- Pot and Politics
- Rights & Freedoms
- Sue Rodriguez and the Right-To-Die Debate
- The Berger Pipeline Inquiry
- Trudeau's Omnibus Bill: Challenging Canadian Taboos
- Voting in Canada: How a Privilege Became a Right
- Slavery, Abolition and Social Justice, 1490-2007Manuscripts, pamphlets, books, paintings, maps and images relating to enslavement.
Coverage: 1490 - 2007
UWaterloo's Special Collections & Archives
Local / regional history
- Local Historyvia UWaterloo's Special Collections & Archives (SCA)
- Rieder and Anthes family fondsMaterial is related to the activities, travels, and genealogy of this Berlin/Kitchener/Waterloo family. Includes souvenir guide books, postcards, and other ephemera; family trees; a letter and a plan regarding the Westmount suburb; other correspondence, and more.
Coverage: 1867 - 1929 - Kitchener-Waterloo Record photographic negative collectionvia UWaterloo Library's Special Collections & Archives.
Coverage: 1938 - 2001 - Hamilton Black History DatabaseSources relating to Black people in and around Hamilton, Ontario
Coverage: 1600s - present - Views of Berlin and Kitchener: Local Souvenir Albumsvia UWaterloo Library's Special Collections & Archives. A collection of albums created around the turn of the 20th century, as the town of Berlin grew into the city of Kitchener.
- Waterloo Historical Society Photograph Collectionvia Kitchener Public Library's Grace Schmidt Room of Local History.
- Waterloo County to 1972: An Annotated Bibliography of Regional HistoryUse this ebook to search for publications about the region's history.
- Waterloo County House of Industry & Refuge projectLearn about some of the people who were connected with this facility. The collection includes the archival documents and their analysis by researchers.
Coverage: 1869 - 1950
Comprehensive collections
- CanadianaFind documents from 1st European contact to recent student activism, including items relating to Indigenous-settler relations, cookbooks, women's writings, and more.
Coverage: Pre-1970 - HéritagePrimary sources from Canada's peoples from the 1600s to the mid-1900s. Includes genealogy, Indigenous, government, and military records.
Coverage: Pre-1960s
- NFB.ca (National Film Board of Canada)Link to documentaries, animations, experimental films, and fiction produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
Coverage: 1930s - present
- Peel's Prairie ProvincesCoverage: pre 1953