Special university collection provides insight into Louis Riel’s tight family circle

 By Shari Narin  Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Rare Books and Special Collections Librarian Annie Murray at the University of Calgary couldn’t believe it when the owner of a rare bookstore in that southern Alberta city told her about a collection of letters from Louis Riel. Aquila Books owner Cameron Treleaven approached Murray about “something very, very special (and asked), `Would you like to see it?’ And then I couldn’t believe it. I brought it back to the leadership team here and I said, `I think there might be an opportunity to acquire these fascinating materials’.” After over a century of ownership of the materials, descendants of one of Riel’s siblings sold the collection of about 50 items to Aquila Books. In Spring 2022, the University of Calgary purchased the single…

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