Saskatchewan

• Historical Notes
• Provincial Websites
• To Learn More

The Atlas of Canada. [http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/ site/index.html]

Historical Notes

Saskatchewan was originally part of the vast territory granted to the Hudson's Bay Company in 1670. Over the following two centuries, Native Peoples, fur traders and missionaries settled here.

On November 19, 1869, the Government of Canada acquired all the land belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company, commonly called Rupert's Land.

In 1870, the area between the province of Manitoba and the Canadian Rockies was organized into territories henceforth known as the Northwest Territories. The arrival of the railway in the mid-1880s opened these territories to mass settlement.

Until 1930, many immigrants came here from eastern Canada, the United States, Great Britain and Europe. Saskatchewan became a province on September 1, 1905.

Researchers interested in ancestors who lived in Saskatchewan use the main types of genealogical sources. A lot of information about these ancestors can be found, among other places, in land records and especially homestead records.

Provincial Websites

• GenWeb [www.rootsweb.com/%7Ewebsites/international/canada.html]
• Regina Public Library [www.rpl.regina.sk.ca/]
• Saskatchewan Archives Board [www.saskarchives.com/]. The guide Family History Research [www.saskarchives.com/web/services-pub-family.html] presents the main sources and how to do research in Saskatchewan.
• Saskatchewan Archival Information Network [http://scaa.usask.ca/sain/] Saskatchewan Genealogical Society [www.saskgenealogy.com/]
• Saskatchewan Legislative Library [www.legassembly.sk.ca/LegLibrary/default.htm]
• Saskatoon Public Library [www.saskatoonlibrary.ca/]
• Société historique de la Saskatchewan [www.societehisto.org/]
• The official provincial government Web site [www.gov.sk.ca/] contains useful information about the province and its historic records.
• The Canadian Encyclopedia Online [www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/] allows you to learn more about the history, geography and people of Saskatchewan.
• Many libraries hold reference books, local histories, family histories and other books on genealogy. Library and Archives Canada allows you to Browse Lists of Canadian Library Web Sites and Catalogues by province.

The sections on What to Search: Topics and Genealogy Links of this site can provide more useful information about how to do genealogical research research in Saskatchewan. You can also access databases from our Directory of Canadian Genealogical Resources - AVITUS.

To Learn More

You can also consult the following books:

• Exploring Family History in Saskatchewan [www.saskarchives.com/web/services-pub-bulletins.html], available in PDF format.