New York Times Historical Database

The New York Times has been an important paper in the United States for over two centuries. What many people don't realise is that it contains a lot of Canadian news as well and in the past it had correspondents in many parts of Canada. For Canadian aboriginal history, therefore, it can be quite useful. To get to our copy of the New York Times Hisstorical database go to the blue menu at the left side of the Libraries web pages. Choose E-Library and then under Find Journal Articles choose Databases by Title (A to Z). Click on N in the display


Choose a letter
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


Then click on New York Times Historical (1851-2003) , type your search terms into the box and click on the search button. If we do a search with Cree Indians Manitoba we get 22 newspaper stories including: "BIG BEAR SET FREE", New York Times Feb 6, 1887, p. 5. The database gives you the full text of the story and a citation.


The articles are usually short but they often provide useful information like dates and names and can give a hint of the attitutdes of the writer who, in this story, tells us that Big Bear "incited his tribe to pillage and massacre".