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New France

Colton Map of British North America or Canada
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Source

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A map of New France made by Samuel de Champlain in 1612. Image from Wikimedia Commons

Starting in the 1530s, France was the first European nation to colonize what is now eastern Canada. This section will help you find material in Vancouver Public Library about French exploration and settlement. Material on this subject can be found throughout the Central Library. This section highlights material in English; the Library also has some French-language material. Please ask the Information staff if you need help. The Fur Trade tab in this guide may also be useful when researching New France.

Useful Websites

Written in accessible prose by specialists, titles on New France include Canadian Society in the French Regime, The Government of New France, Louisbourg: Atlantic Fortress and Seaport, The Role of the Church in New France, The Seigneurial Regime, and Women in New France.

Full-text historical content about Canada, including books, magazines and government documents.

Includes a chronology, maps and digitized primary sources.

English translation of the chronicle of Jesuit missionaries in New France.

Library and Archives Canada's collection of 350 archival documents from New France.

From the Canadian Museum of History; includes information on explorers, economic activity and daily life.

Digital Library Resources
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Brief biographies of notable Canadians from the years 1000 to 1930.

Access:
Everywhere for everyone
Culture and History Subject Icon

NOTE: this online resource will be discontinued as of December 31, 2024. A print copy is available at the Central library.

Online version of the 1999 resource that describes the nation’s 119 different ethnic groups: their process of migration, arrival and settlement, community life, intergroup relations, language and culture.

Access:
Everywhere for VPL cardholders
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Includes the complete text of the Canadian Encyclopedia in English and French, interactive resources and timelines of Canadian and world events.

Access:
Everywhere for everyone

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Northwest History Index

This card index in Special Collection provides access to the Northwest History Collection, a heritage collection covering the early history and exploration of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest.

The collection includes:

  • magazine and newspaper articles
  • pamphlets
  • books
  • chapters in books
  • many other resources

As of August 1998, no new material has been added to the Northwest History Index. It is continued by the British Columbia Index.