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Culture & History

  • Local History

    If you are looking for local art or historical images of Vancouver, BC, or the Pacific Northwest in general, this is a good place to start.

  • Local History Collections

    Discover signature collections such as the Historical Photographs collection featuring more than 40,000 digitized images, the Vancouver Building Register, and the British Columbia Index. 

  • Louis Riel

    Louis Riel helped to lead two resistance movements against the Canadian government; the Red River Rebellion and the North-West Rebellion. This guide has information on him and the rebellions.

  • Loyalists

    VPL has many resources for genealogists interested in exploring Loyalist roots.

  • Maclean’s Magazine Archive, 1905-2015

    One hundred and ten years of searchable, cover-to-cover access to Canada’s leading general interest magazine.

  • Migration and Settlement

    A majority of early Chinese immigrants to Canada came from Guangdong (Kwangtung) Province in South China's Pearl River Delta. For more information, see Back to China.

  • Military Records

    The earliest Canadian military records date back to 1665 when the French King sent troops to protect New France against attacks from the Iroquois Nation.

  • Military Records

    Resources to find military records of Chinese Canadians.

  • MMIWG2S+

    This page will help you find background information and updates on the issues involved, and provide links to organizations working to address these issues.

  • Museums and Archives

    Historic government records are held in national, provincial and municipal repositories. Individuals, families and organizations also frequently donate private records to museums and archives. Archives' across Canada have collaborated to create the Canadian Council of Archives (CCA). The network allows users to simultaneously search the holdings of many archival repositories in order to identify materials that may be of interest.

    The list in the following sections divided by province is primarily derived from CCA. It identifies Canadian museums and archives with records in their collections