Voyages from Montreal on the River St. Laurence through the Continent of North America to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans, in the Years 1789 and 1793
1801
Alexander Mackenzie
London: Cadell & Davies
Alexander Mackenzie was the first European to cross America north of Mexico. After a difficult journey over land and by canoe, he travelled down the Bella Coola River and reached the Pacific Ocean on July 22, 1793.
Dominion Illustrated
June 28, 1890
This "Calgary Special" issue of the Dominion Illustrated, a weekly pictorial magazine, documents the phenomenal growth of the town of Calgary, from a Mounted Police post in 1875 to a bustling community of more than 4,000 people. It featured a number of photographs of the town, as well as advertising for local companies such as Carson & Shore Saddlery and the Calgary Carriage Works.
Insurance Plan of Calgary, Alberta
1911
Toronto: Charles E. Goad
Many of the buildings in pioneer Calgary, as in other centres of the time, were built of wood, and fire was an ever-present concern. In fact, several businesses in Calgary were destroyed by a fire in November 1886. Fire insurance plans included important information such as the material used in a building's construction and the location of hydrants and other types of fire protection.
Modern Homes
n.d.
Lethbridge: Atlas Lumber Company
This plan book shows the interior layouts and exterior photographs of almost a hundred different home designs. Although most of these were standard designs that could be obtained anywhere in North America, many of the names for the homes were those of towns and villages in Alberta, such as the "Airdrie," the "Dalemead," and the "Trochu." The plans and material could be ordered from the local lumber dealer.
The Alexandra Readers
1921
Toronto: Macmillan Company of Canada
Many people remember learning to read from the Alexandra Readers, which were found in schools across the prairies. The Primer introduced words such as "hat" and "cat." By the Fourth Book, students were reading Charles Dickens, Henry David Thoreau, and Sir Walter Scott.
The Optimist, 1932-33
1933
Calgary: Calgary Normal School
The Calgary Normal School, which was founded in 1906, was one of three schools in Alberta that trained high-school graduates to become teachers. This yearbook is typical of the era with small black-and-white portraits and brief biographies of the students and staff. The name of the yearbook was perhaps unwittingly ironic; Alberta was just beginning to recover from the Depression and jobs for young teachers were scarce.
Calgary Herald Extra
April 1885
The Calgary Herald was founded as a weekly newspaper in 1883. In the spring of 1885, as the events of the Riel Rebellion unfolded, the paper published a number of "extra" broadsheets to inform local citizens of the latest developments.
