Living Memory - Home Page
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The Early Years 1565-1760
From Conquest to Confederation 1760-1867
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By Time Period
The Early Years 1565-1760

People have lived in what is now Canada for many thousands of years. The First Peoples recorded their memories in song, dance, story-telling, and art. The oldest documents in the Archives are maps, drawings, manuscripts and journals, mostly created by Europeans, as they began to establish their claims here centuries ago.

The rivalry between France and England for the land we now call Canada is central to our history. New France endured and grew from the arrival of Jacques Cartier in 1534 until1760, when England defeated the forces of New France on the Plains of Abraham, commonly known as the Conquest.

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Imaginary Portrait of Jacques CartierImaginary Portrait of Jacques Cartier
1534
Documentary Art
Map of the worldMap of the world
1560
Maps
Sir Humphrey GilbertSir Humphrey Gilbert
1582
Manuscripts and Private Collections
La DuchesseLa Duchesse
1650
Documentary Art
Le CanadaLe Canada
1653
Maps
Letters of NobilityLetters of Nobility
1658
Manuscripts and Private Collections
Montagnais-French dictionaryMontagnais-French dictionary
1678
Manuscripts and Private Collections
Aboriginal totem signaturesAboriginal totem signatures
1701
Manuscripts and Private Collections
Sa Ga Yeath Qua Pieth TowSa Ga Yeath Qua Pieth Tow
1710
Documentary Art
Medal of Louis XIVMedal of Louis XIV
1713
Documentary Art
Period 1565-1760
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