"SIMCOE COUNTY PIONEER PAPERS, 1908 - 1917, compiled by the Simcoe County Historical Society, 1974. Reprinted 1995. 6 sections. approx. 350 p. illus. A collection of published articles written by men who were there, such as Ardagh, O'Brien, Soules, Williams, and Osborne. Fills in many gaps in Simcoe County history."
"THE VISIBLE PAST; THE PICTORIAL HISTORY OF SIMCOE COUNTY, by Adelaide Leitch, 1967. Republished 1992. 305 p. illus. maps. A unique collection of pictures illustrating a wide variety of aspects of the County during its history."
"E.C.DRURY, AGRARIAN IDEALIST, by Charles M. Johnston, 1986. 299 p. illus. An excellent biography of the county’s "accidental premier" of Ontario, who, during his brief tenure at Queen’s Park, 1919-1923, brought to the province reforestation, mother’s allowances, and an improved road system, among many other programmes from which we still benefit."
"STEEPLE CHASE: ONTARIO'S HISTORIC CHURCHES, by James and Susan Preyde, 1990. 72 p. illus. maps. Excellent colour photographs of exteriors in settings, and some interiors, with a short account. Includes some of Simcoe County's churches, such as St. James-on-the-Lines, Penetanguishene; St Thomas, Shanty Bay; and the African Methodist Episcopal in Oro Township. Also includes such famous York Co. buildings as the Quaker Meeting House in Newmarket and the Sharon Temple."
"CHIPPEWA CUSTOMS, by Frances Densmore. First published in 1929, republished, 1979. 204 p. illus. This book remains an authority for the history, customs, legends, traditions, art, music, economy, and other activities of the Chippewa of the U,S, and Canada."
"HISTORY OF THE OJIBWAY PEOPLE, by William W. Warren, 1984. First published in 1885. 411 p. A record of the Ojibway oral traditions, customs, family life, totemic system, hunting methods, and relations with other groups."
"A DICTIONARY OF THE OJIBWAY LANGUAGE, by Frederic Baraga, 1992. Reprint of the 1878 edition, prepared by a missionary among the Ojibway in the Lake Superior region. 281 p."
"THE REGULATION PLACE "HILLSDALE": The story of one Ojibway Family, by Frances Collins and Sylvia Holderny. Illustrations by Lois Hawkes, 1997. 130 p. illus. maps. The story of one Ojibway family as it is affected by the development of a white settlement. An historical account accompanies the unfolding of the Natives' story."
"KITCHI-GAMI: LIFE AMONG THE LAKE SUPERIOR OJIBWAY, by Johann Georg Kohl, 1985. 477 p. illus. A mid-19th Century study of the Ojibway culture, religion and folklore. Included are the fur trade, canoe building, domestic utensils, quillwork, foods, hunting, fishing, trapping, cooking, toboggans, snowshoes, gardening, lodge building, games, and warfare."
"HURONIA: CRADLE OF ONTARIO'S HISTORY, by Herbert Cranston. Drawings by C.W. Jefferys, 1949. 10th printing, 1997. 80 p. illus. maps. A brief outline of the history from the Huron villages to modern towns."
"THE VOYAGEUR, by Grace Lee Nute, 1987 edition. 288 p. illus. A unique account of the Voyageurs, their role in the fur trade, the War of 1812, and in general in the history of the country. Includes many of their songs."
"THE VOYAGEUR’S HIGHWAY: MINNESOTA’S BORDER LAKE LAND, by Grace Lee Nute, 1941. 113 p. illus. maps. Canoe routes west of Lake Superior during the fur trade."
"WHERE TWO WORLDS MEET: THE GREAT LAKES FUR TRADE, by Carolyn Gilman, 1982. 136 p. illus. maps. Essays on the fur trade and various aspects of the early cross-cultural contacts between Natives and whites. Also reproductions of 18th Century paintings."
"FORTY YEARS IN THE FOREST: Reminiscences from the pen of a backwoodsman (1820-1868), by Richard Rorke, 1987. 159 p. illus. maps. "A vivid account of pioneer days in early Ontario: Tecumseth Township (1820-1848); Collingwood Township (1848-1868)".
"ON GROWING UP IN A MANSE PARSONAGE, by Mayme (Shapter) Cumming, 1997. 90 p. illus. The author has recounted some events in the lives of her parents, Percy and Maggie Kerr Shapter. Percy was a Methodist, later United Church, minister, serving at Stroud, Ontario, for a few years, but mostly in Muskoka and north. Her story includes her own reminiscences as a minister’s daughter, and her life before her marriage to Bruce Cumming, a farmer near Thornton, Ontario. The book recalls the way things used to be - a nostalgic trip for those who lived in the first part of this century."
"I LOVE THE SOIL, by R.B. Cumming. Undated, c1996. 121 p. illus. Reminiscences by the author of growing up on a farm in Vespra Township, his own farm in Essa, and of the many changes and adventures throughout his life."
"AFTER THE FIRE: SAINTE-MARIE AMONG THE HURONS SINCE 1649, by Paul J. Delaney and Andrew D. Nicholls, 1989. 101 p. illus. map. The story of the excavations and eventual reconstruction of the fort, which has become a major tourist attraction, and an educational resource, visited by hundreds of school children every year."
"OLD FORTS OF THE GREAT LAKES: SENTINELS IN THE WILDERNESS, by James P. Barry, 1994. 167 p. illus. maps. This history of the French, British and American presence on the Great Lakes and their inter-relation is tied together with a history of the forts, their design and purpose, and the pattern of life in them. Photographs and/or sketches illustrate every fort. Excellent window on Canadian history."
"WAR 1812, by George S. May, 1970 edition. 50 p. illus. maps. An excellent account of the War, with emphasis on the role of Fort Michilimackinac in the saving of Canada. The dramatic events of the war around the fort, in the Upper Lakes, and in Simcoe County, including the heroism of the British personnel are told with clarity. Valuable for an understanding of how Britian won that war."
"THE HISTORY OF CAMP BORDEN, 1916 - 1918: LAND OF SAND, SIN AND SORROW, by William Chajkowsky, 1983. 106 p. illus. maps. An account of the beginning to the development and use of Camp Borden to train pilots during the war."
"A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SIMCOE COUNTY, ONTARIO, 1790-1990: published works and post-graduate theses relating to the British Colonial and Post-Confederation periods, with representative locations, compiled by Elinor Sullivan, 1992. 269 p. Listed under subject (eg. Education, Forestry and Lumbering, newspapers, transportation), each entry is given a number used in the extensive Index, and a location code. eg. OBA is Barrie Public Library. An essential tool for researching about Simcoe County."
"THE GREAT ONTARIO TRIVIA BOOK, by William E. Chajkowsky, 1997. Questions - 82 p. Answers - by page On people, events and places in Ontario."
"SIMCOE COUNTY BOOK OF DAYS, Volume 1; BEGINNINGS TO 1919, compiled and edited by B.E.S. Rudachyk, 1998. Unpaged An unusual history of the County presented through the events of each day. Not only intriguing, but a valuable reference tool as well."
"CEMETERY INSCRIPTIONS, TECUMSETH AND WEST GWILLIMBURY TOWNSHIPS, SIMCOE COUNTY, ONTARIO, now the towns of New Tecumseth and Bradford West Gwillimbury, by Tecumseth and West Gwillimbury Historical Society. 2nd ed. 1994. 340 p. maps Tombstone inscriptions to 1982, historic notes, index."
"MEN OF COLOUR: an historical account of the Black Settlement on Wilberforce Street and in Oro Township, Simcoe County, Ontario, 1819 - 1949, by Gary E. French, 1978. 182 p. illus. maps."
"LIFE ON THE OLD PLANK ROAD: HIGHWAY 88, by Bernice Merrick Ellis, 1984. 24 p. illus. A surprising revelation of a vital aspect of Simcoe County History in the 1850's."
"THE SIMCOE LEGACY: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF YONGE STREET, by The Ontario Historical Society, 1996. 49 p. illus. map. "A collection of the papers from the seminar which explored the legacy of John Graves Simcoe, Upper Canada’s first Lieutenant Governor, and his search for a route to Canada’s interior that led to the building of the longest street in the world." (Title Page) Illustrated with a fine collection of period pictures, these papers cover various aspects of Yonge Street through its 200 years."
"THE YONGE STREET STORY, 1793 - 1860; AN ACCOUNT FROM LETTERS, DIARIES AND NEWSPAPERS, by F.R. Berchem, 1977. Republished 1996. 192 p. illus. maps. This is not just a history of a street; it covers also a large portion of the early history of Upper Canada (Ontario)."
"AND THE SWAMP FLOURISHED; THE BITTERSWEET STORY OF HOLLAND MARSH, by Albert VanderMey, 1994. 146 p. illus. maps. An illustrated history of the Holland Marsh gardens, south of Bradford, Ontario."
"GAZETTEER AND DIRECTORY OF THE COUNTY OF SIMCOE, INCLUDING THE DISTRICT OF MUSKOKA AND THE TOWNSHIPS OF MONO AND MULMUR FOR 1872-3, produced by East Georgian Bay Historical Foundation, 1985. 283 p. All the residents alphabetically arranged for each community."
"SIMCOE COUNTY: THE RECENT PAST, by John Craig, 1977. 306 p. illus. map. A survey of the county's history."
"PLACE NAMES OF ONTARIO, by Alan Rayburn, 1997. 404 p. A comprehensive listing of counties, townships, cities, towns, villages and hamlets, with locations, name origins, and some brief histories. The Introduction gives valuable explanations of the patterns found in the names."
EAST GEORGIAN BAY HISTORICAL JOURNAL, by the East Georgian Bay Historical Foundation. Vol. II. 258 p. illus. 1982. Vol. III. 230 p. illus. maps. 1983. Vol. IV. 201 p. illus. maps. 1985. Vol. V. 149 p. illus. maps. 1989. A collection of well-researched articles on a wide variety of topics relative to the East Georgian Bay area, including Simcoe County.
"GEORGIAN BAY, THE SIXTH GREAT LAKE, by James P. Barry, 1978. 190 p. illus. map. A comprehensive account of wars, settlements, activities, and developments around and on the Bay."
"THE GRAND PORTAGE STORY, by Carolyn Gilman, 1992. 168 p. illus. maps. Grand Portage at the western extremity of Lake Superior was a major rendezvous post of the fur trade, especially of the North West Company, until it was handed over to the U.S. IN 1796. Fort William was built to replace it."
"NORTHWEST PASSAGE: THE STORY OF GRAND PORTAGE, legendary crossroads of the North American fur trade on Lake Superior’s North Shore. 14 minute video produced by the Minnesota Historical Society, 1994. A recreation of life at this trading post during a rendezvous."
"A DEO VICTORIA: THE STORY OF THE GEORGIAN BAY LUMBER COMPANY, 1871 - 1942, by James T. Angus, 1990. 320 p. illus. map. 'The company, which included only the Port Severn and Waubaushene mills, was empowered to establish "a line of Steamboats or Sailing Ships or vessels from and between Port Severn and the cities of Chicago and Cleveland... for the purpose of carrying lumber and other freight between said ports." P.55."