History Browser

Louis Riel was born in Saint Boniface in 1844 and was educated in Montréal. When he returned to the Red River Settlement in 1868, he found the community anxious and divided over its political future.

The term Métis, like the 'mestizo', has its origins in the Latin word 'mixticius' which means a person of mixed racial ancestry. Métis, however, describes more than race-it refers to a culture and a nation that played a significant role in the history of the Canadian West and is now a proud part of the Canadian mosaic.

One of the principal features of his vision was a strong sense of national unity. As a young man, he asserted that "The unity of the people is the secret of the future", ["L'union entre les peuples, le secret de l'avenir"] ...

At no time were King's leadership skills more apparent than when he faced the challenge of leading the country through the Second World War.

Built in 1898-1900 to protect the entrance to the Royal Navy (and later the Royal Canadian Navy) base on the Pacific, the battery has been restored to its appearance during the Second World War 1939-45. (Parks Canada)

This national historic site of Canada has close ties with Métis leader and a founder of Manitoba, Louis Riel. Occupying river lot 51 along the Red River, Riel House National Historic Site was Riel's family home, where his descendants continued to live until 1969.

Visitors to York Factory National Historic Site of Canada can experience the diverse history of the Hudson's Bay Company and the fur trade of the 1600-1800s.

It is June of 1812, and the United States has declared war on Great Britain! Tension has been simmering between these two nations for many years and for many reasons.

Brief description of this National Historic Site on McNabs Island, near Halifax, Nova Scotia. Now grassy ruins, the fort once served as a key element of harbour defence from 1888 to the Second World War. Website has visitor information and links to maps and other related sites.

Laurier House commemorates two of Canada's most notable prime ministers, Sir Wilfrid Laurier and the Rt. Hon. William Lyon Mackenzie King. For over fifty years, from 1897 to 1948, the house occupied a central position in the political life of Canada, as the place of residence of Laurier and, after his death, of Mackenzie