Explore Southwestern Ontario, one of the oldest Caucasian settled areas within the Province, dating to before the 18th century, through diaries, publications, photos, postcards, maps, and other resources, including a link to our early newspapers.  Research the Voice of the Fugitive, the first Black newspaper in Canada, and the Provincial Freeman, another newspaper published and edited by members of the black community.

Southwestern Ontario's history encompasses First Nations peoples; early French settlement, led by Cadillac; the Jesuit Mission to the Hurons,  Black fugitive settlement, and the vital role of the Underground Railroad. In the later 19th and early 20th centuries, the region was a hub for industrial development and is an important area for the study of management/labour relations and industrialization in Canada.