LibGuides: History of the British Empire (1815-1914): Canada

British Empire in Canada: Digitized Primary Sources

This guide includes primary sources related to the British colonization of Canada during the "imperial century" of 1815-1914. British territory in Canada pushed westward over the course of the 19th century, marginalizing the presence of many indigenous peoples along the way. See more on the expansion from a First Nations viewpoint.

Canada - General Sources
Great Britain began acquiring territory in what is now Canada in the 1600s. In 1867, four British colonies (Quebec, Nova Scotia, Ontario, & New Brunswick) joined together as the "Dominion of Canada" and became a self-governing state within the British Empire. More British territories were transferred to Canadian governance from 1870-1940s. Canada and the British Empire were thus closely intertwined.

Canada Gazette, 1875-1921 - A government publication with official proclamations and legal notices, including major land transactions.
Canadian Pacific Railway: Books & Serials about the railway published 1880-1914. The first transcontinental railway in Canada was instrumental in "settling" western and central provinces.
Historic Documents & Images in ArchivesCanada - Archival content from across Canada. Use the side navigation to narrow by place, subject, etc. To see documents only, choose Media Type > Text.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives - The fur-trading HBC once controlled forts from Quebec to Oregon, and were the de facto British authority for much of Western Canada in the early 1800s. This site provides online access to 10,000 volumes of archival records and is an incredible source for research on early Canadian/Indigenous relations. Example: Columbia District and Oregon Department loose accounts, 1824-60
Hudson's Bay Company & the North West Company - Books & Serials, 1800-1870. To search within this set, select "Revise Search" then add your keywords.
"Indian Affairs" Government Reports, 1864-1966 - Annual national reports. Good for high-level research on how the government was interacting with indigenous peoples.
Indigenous Heritage Resources by Library & Archives Canada - Links to a variety of sources for Indigenous history research.
Settlers' and Travel Guides to Canada, 1820s-1910s - Handbooks for British emigrants intending to visit or settle in Canada.

British Columbia, Washington & Oregon
The first British authorities in the "Columbia District" (modern B.C., Washington and Oregon) were established by fur-trading companies in the early 1800s. Britain and the United States jointly occupied the area between 1818-1846, when the Oregon Treaty set the modern border of Canada. Vancouver Island became an official colony in 1849; British Columbia followed in 1858. They joined the Dominion of Canada as a single province in 1871.

British Columbia government publications, 1850s-1914. To search within this set, select "Revise search" then add your keywords.
British Columbia Legislative Assembly journals, 1851-present. For easier browsing, see the Index for 1872-1916.
Canadian Pacific Railway: Books & Serials about the railway published 1880-1914. The first transcontinental railway in Canada was instrumental in "settling" the western and central provinces.
Colonial Office Correspondence, Vancouver Island (1849-66) & BC (1858-71) - About 3,000 pages of correspondence from the British Colonial Office of the colonies of Vancouver and British Columbia. TIP: Read the finding aid for context and keywords!
First Nations List / Directory - List, map and links to treaties with each of the First Nations peoples of BC, including many 19th century treaties.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives - See description under Canada - General Sources.
Hudson's Bay Company & the North West Company - Books & Serials, 1800-1870. To search within this set, select "Revise Search" then add your keywords.
Papers connected with the Indian land question, 1850-1875 - An 1875 book containing primary sources related to the takeover of indigenous lands in British Columbia.

Central Canada (Alberta, Manitoba & Saskatchewan)
Two chartered fur-trading companies, the Hudson Bay Company & the North West Company, were the first British authorities in this region in the 1700s. Manitoba joined the Dominion of Canada as a province in 1870; Alberta and Saskatchewan joined Canada as part of the North-Western Territory at the same time, but did not become provinces until 1905. The Canadians signed numerous treaties with First Nations peoples governing land rights throughout this period.

Alberta - Books & serials about Alberta, 1850-1914. To search within this set, select "Revise Search" then add your keywords.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives - See description under Canada - General Sources.
Hudson's Bay Company & the North West Company - Books & Serials, 1800-1870. To search within this set, select "Revise Search" then add your keywords.
Canadian Pacific Railway: Books & Serials about the railway published 1880-1914. The first transcontinental railway in Canada was instrumental in "settling" the western and central provinces.
Manitoba - Books & serials about Manitoba, 1815-1914. To search within this set, select "Revise Search" then add your keywords.
Red River Colony - Published primary sources, 1800-1914; Search for archival material in HBC Archives. This colony founded by the Earl of Selkirk in Manitoba was majority Métis (mixed Indigenous/European). Established on HBC land, its inhabitants resisted both American and Canadian annexation. See more about the Red River Colony. As a side note: some of the first non-local people to settle in Oregon (including near Forest Grove) were Red River Metis people; see the book, At the hearth of the crossed races: a French-Indian community in nineteenth-century Oregon.
Saskatchewan - Books and serials about Saskatchewan, 1850-1914. To search within this set, select "Revise Search" then add your keywords.

Northwest & Arctic Canada (Northwest Territory, Nunavut & Yukon)
Two chartered fur-trading companies, the Hudson Bay Company & the North West Company, were the first British authorities in this region. However, the vast majority of the land remained (and remains today!) majority indigenous. The original "North-Western Territory" joined the Dominion of Canada in 1870. Yukon became a distinct province in 1898; Nunavut split off in 1999.

Arctic, North Pole & Northwest Passage Exploration - Books & Serials, 1815-1914. British exploration of the far north was tied to international politics and naval dominance of the seas.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives - See description under Canada - General Sources.
Hudson's Bay Company & the North West Company - Books & Serials, 1800-1870. To search within this set, select "Revise Search" then add your keywords.
Klondike Gold Rush (1896-9) - Books & Serials published 1896-1914. This event triggered a massive influx of American, Canadian & British miners to the Klondike area of the Yukon, centered on Dawson City, and led to the creation of the Province of Yukon in 1898.
Klondike Nugget Newspaper (1898-1900) - Full text of this Klondike gold rush newspaper based in Dawson City.
Nunavut - See Inuit or Arctic; the province formed recently, so most historical sources on the region do not use this term.
Inuit - Books and Serials about the Inuit and/or Inuit lands in Canada, 1815-1914.

Eastern Canada
This area includes the four original provinces of the Dominion of Canada: Quebec, Nova Scotia, Ontario, & New Brunswick (joined 1867), as well as Prince Edward Island (joined 1873). Newfoundland & Labrador remained separate colonies until 1949.

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