Edmonton History
The Library has a diverse collection of resources for finding information on Edmonton. Check out EPL's Historic Edmonton page.
Need a snapshot into Edmonton’s past? The City of Edmonton Archives has a searchable database of over 10,000 photos:
The great elephant stampede of 1926? A garden with 17,000 peony plants? A band of newsboys? Find odd, quirky and fascinating tidbits about our city using EPL's Info File.
And here’s another cool tip: For an overview of Edmonton in a particular year between 1908 – 1987, take a look at the Edmonton (Alberta) City Directories (aka Edmonton Henderson’s Directories) You’ll find lists of:
- businesses
- associations
- clubs
- schools
- churches
- hospitals
Some volumes have data on city industries, services and institutions and information on notable Edmontonians of the day. The directories promise to be “a complete epitome of the civic, commercial, social and industrial interests and activities of the municipality." Print version available at Stanley A. Milner Library and select years online at the Peel's Prairie Provinces website.
Can't find what you're looking for? Contact EPL!
Looking for a specific topic? These lists will give you the most relevent resources EPL has to offer.
General resources:
Topic lists:
- Edmonton - Arts and Culture - History
- Edmonton - Buildings and Architecture - History
- Edmonton - Business Histories
- Edmonton - Community Organizations – History
- Edmonton - Church Histories
- Edmonton - Education and School Histories
- Edmonton - Hospitals and Health Care - History
- Edmonton - Media - History
- Edmonton - Neighbourhoods - History
- Edmonton - Sports - History
- Edmonton - Transportation – History
Here are some great Databases to explore Edmonton's news, facts, and history.
- Canada News, Business & Current Affairs- Contains full text of the Edmonton Journal from March 10, 1989 to two days ago.
- Edmonton Obituaries - Search for the date of obituaries in the Edmonton Journal from January 1, 1951 to December 31, 1982
- Info File - Full of interesting, unusual and hard to find information about the city of Edmonton.
- Press Display (today's newspapers) - Contains the last 30 days of the Edmonton Journal and the Edmonton Sun. Completely up-to-date including all pictures and stories.
Alberta Heritage Digitization Project
Includes Historical Documents from Edmonton.
Edmonton Archives - 10,000 photos online
Take a look at wide range of historical photos about Edmonton from the City's Archives.
Edmonton Stories
Tell your story, read the stories of other Edmontonians.
Lawrence Herzog's History of Edmonton Articles
This site provides an index to Herzog’s It's Our Heritage and Inside Edmonton columns which appear in Edmonton's Real Estate Weekly magazine. The columns have appeared online since 2002.
