Beaver Magazine Views
Canada's History is the official magazine of Canada's National History Society. It is published six times a year, and aims to promote interest in and knowledge of Canadian history. Founded in 1920 as The Beaver by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), the magazine was acquired by the Society in 1994. Subject matter includes all aspects of Canadian history.
According to Charles Sale, who became the 29th Governor of HBC, there was a purely personal and domestic character to the initial magazine. Sale felt this approach was too narrow. He envisioned The Beaver as ... one of exceeding use to ...Staff; but also a publication that could ...be distributed to customers to their benefit and is, at the same time a practical reminder (through advertising) of the Company's existence and of the goods which it offers.
The content of the new Beaver was broadened to ... include the whole field of travel, exploration and the trade in the Canadian North as well as the current activities and historical background of the Hudson's Bay Company and all its departments throughout Canada. Staff news was de-emphasized and would be handled by other company publications. Over the next fifty years, the magazine came into its stride. The Beaver came to offer a wealth of information on Canada's social, cultural, economic and commercial past. Some of Canada's leading historians have written for the magazine including:
In 1986, The Beaver became a bimonthly magazine. The publisher also decided to break with tradition and expand the focus of the magazine to include all Canadian history. — introducing Atlantic and Central Canadian stories for the first time. This was reflected by the creation of a new masthead: Exploring Canada's History.
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