Prairie history

If you're interested in the stories and genealogies of the Canadian prairies, you'll find what you need here, with links to census records, historical documents, newspapers, and information about local collections.

Canadian historical documents

Peel’s Prairie Provinces
Find thousands of original documents relating to the Prairie Provinces, hosted by the University of Alberta.

Frontier Life
For those interested in history and genealogy. Original source material covering 1650 to 1920 that includes access to maps, photos and diaries, as well as some coverage of the Indigenous experience in Canada.

Henderson’s Directories
Find addresses of citizens and businesses dating back to 1905.

Explore History
Detailed coverage of many topics, with access to photos, maps and newspapers. One of its featured collections is the Indigenous Peoples of North America.

Canadiana.ca
Hosted by the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN), this website preserves Canada’s document heritage since 1978.

Newspapers

Canadian Major Dailies
Access many of Canada’s top national and regional newspapers in full-text digital format.

Historic Leader-Post
Fully searchable PDF scan of the entire newspaper, including obituaries. From its earliest days as The Regina Leader, right up to the Leader-Post we know today.

Also available through the Explore History portal:

• The Times Digital Archive, 1785-2014
• The Economist Historical Archive, 1843-2015
• The Sunday Times Historical Archive, 1822-2016

Local collections

Regina Public Library Web Archive Collection
The purpose of our Web Archive collection is to preserve and provide access to web materials that document under-represented and historically significant groups in the city of Regina and the province of Saskatchewan. The complete listings can be found on our Archive-it landing page. Our collections include:

• Regina local history
• Treat 4 Peoples
• Regina Pride

City of Regina Archives 150 Stories Oral History Project

An Oral History Project to support ongoing reconciliation efforts between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Visit www.trc.ca and learn about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada’s findings and the 94 Calls to Action.

Prairie History Room

A specialized collection of non-circulating community history and genealogical materials focusing on the history and peoples of the Northern Great Plains (Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan) from pre-settlement times to present day. The room is located at the Central branch of the Regina Public Library.

The Prairie History Room includes:

• Census records
• Directories and phone books
• Vital records
• Immigration, passenger, and border entry records
• Local history resources
• Maps, atlases and place names
• Indigenous and Métis genealogy

Genealogy

Ancestry Library Edition
One of the most complete genealogy collections available today. Access from any Regina Public Library location.

Heritage Quest
Provides similar genealogy resources as Ancestry Library Edition with coverage dating back as early as the 1700s. Access from home.

MemorySask
A database of descriptions of archival material held in Saskatchewan archives. It is a work in progress, with new descriptions being added regularly. Check out the Digital Objects collection of scanned items.