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Community history

These resources are a good place to start your research.
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Oral Histories

Our city is full of people with fascinating stories to tell. Meet them here and listen closely as their stories unfold. read stories
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About Richmond

Are you looking for information about Richmond’s history? The list below contains resources we commonly use. You can visit the Richmond Public Library and the Richmond Archives online or in person to find many more books, documents and photographs.

General Richmond History

Richmond, Child of the Fraser Leslie Ross, 1979 Available online.
Richmond, Child of the Fraser, 1979-1989 Leslie Ross, 1989
Richmond: An Illustrated History Bill McNulty, 2016
History of Richmond Municipality (to 1889) Thomas Kidd, no date
Time and Tide: The Settlement of Lulu Island's South Arm Shore Mary Keen, 2005 Available online.
History of Lulu Island Thomas Kidd, 2007 Available online.
A Bridge to the World: The Life and Times of Sea Island Mary Keen, 2002 Available online.
The Country: Richmond’s Eastern Neighbourhoods Mary Keen, 2010
Richmond and its Bridges: Fifteen Crossings of the Fraser River Alan Dawe, 1996
Whispers from the Shedrows: A History of Thoroughbred Racing in Richmond Gerry Gilker, Jack Lowe and Dody Wray, 2001
Sockeye Special: The Story of the Steveston Tram and early Lulu Island Ron Hyde, 2011
Farmers and Milkmaids: A History of Lacrosse in Richmond Jack Lowe, 2004
Richmond Schools – What's in a Name? 125 Years of Change and Expansion Jon Henderson, 2004 Available online.
A Glimpse of Richmond Schools Yesterday and Today Richmond Retired Teachers’ Association, 1996
Faith Communities: Chapels, Churches, Mosques, Synagogues, and Temples: A Reflection on Richmond’s Diverse Cultural Mosaic Jon Henderson, 2008
Richmond’s Suburban History Denise Cook for Richmond Heritage Commission, 2002 Available online.
Richmond's Postal History Richmond, Bill McNulty, 2008
We Will Remember Them: The Lives Behind the Richmond Cenotaph Mary Keen, 1998

Fishing Industry in Richmond

Salmonopolis: The Steveston Story Duncan Stacey, 1994
Tides to Tins Gulf of Georgia Cannery Available online.
Steveston Cannery Row: An Illustrated History Mitsuo Yesaki, 1998
The Monster Cannery: The History of the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Anne Ikeda, 2011

Japanese Canadians in Richmond

Tomekichi Homma: The Story of a Canadian K.T. Homma and C.G. Isaksson, 2008
Obachan’s Garden Linda Ohama, National Film Board, 2001
Sutebusuton: A Japanese Village on the British Columbia Coast Mitsuo Yesaki, 2003
A Capture of Memories: The Murakami Family at Britannia Available online.
Nikkei Stories of Steveston Available online.

Steveston Community History

Steveston Recollections Available online.
Steveston: A Community History W McNulty, 2011
Treading Through Time: A Self Guided Walking Tour Available online.

Indigenous Resources

Musqueam Educational Resources Available online.
Musqueam through Time Video Available online.
All Our Father's Relations DVD, 2016
c̓əsnaʔəm, the City Before the City DVD, 2017
Stó:lō Shxwelí Halq'méylem Language Program Availabile online.
A Stó:lō Coast Salish Historical Atlas 2001
First Peoples’ Map of BC Available online.
BC Treaty Commission Interactive Map Available online.
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation Resources Available online.

If you know of other resources we should add to this list, please email museum@richmond.ca. We are always learning too!

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