Finding Accurate Historical Information in the Digital Age

Ashmun Street 1890s, from the Superior View Archive Collection

Have you seen this image captioned as Queen Street 1890s circulating social media? While this image is technically Sault Ste. Marie, it is not on this side of the border! The image pictured shows Ashumn St. in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. 

There are many reasons as to why this image was misidentified and how the incorrect information spread.  As one of the few locations in Sault Ste. Marie that houses a research library and an extensive archive, we at the Museum figured that it was time to make a post for the community about where to find the best resources for historical information and what the different types of sources are.

Let's properly identify the subject of this image together! The old adage “A picture is worth a thousand words” rings true for this photograph. We will start by looking at the variety of visual clues that the image provides.

Firstly, closely examine the image. Based on the telegraph poles, architectural styles of the buildings and the presence of a horse and buggy, we can safely assume that the date given for the image, 1890's, is more or less accurate.

Queen Street , from the collection of the Sault Ste. Marie Museum

Queen Street, from the collection of the Sault Ste. Marie Museum

The original Sault Ste. Marie Town Hall and Library, 1896. From the collection of the Sault Ste. Marie Library

Now, let’s take a better look at the buildings.  None of the buildings in this image look like those that exist in downtown Sault Ste. Marie Ontario today. We can do a further comparison with other photographs and illustrations from this the same time period of downtown Sault Ste. Marie, ON. Many notable buildings that would have been on Queen Street at the time are not pictured; The Dawson Block, Precious Blood Cathedral nor the original Town Hall or Library.

Soo Times can be seen on the facade of the second building on the right-hand side of the photograph; this was a newspaper attributed to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan as per the United States Library of Congress. The Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario newspapers in print during the 1890's would have been The Algoma Pioneer and District General Advertiser and the Northern Light.

By this point, it would be safe to assume that this is not an image of Sault Ste. Marie, ON, but that of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Because this photograph is online, we can now take a look at the source of the image.

A quick reverse-image search shows the image had been originally posted on a Michigan photographic archive website www.viewsofthepast.com alongside several dozen other images of Sault Ste. Marie, MI, with the caption Ashmun Street 1890s. Alternate images of Ashmun Street are available on this website from the same collection, showing several of the same buildings throughout the following decades.

In almost every case, the original source of the photograph, the primary source, will have the most accurate information. 

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Ashmun Street 1940s, Superior View Archive Collection

Types of Sources

There are 3 types of sources: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary. A source can be credible, or non-credible.

The best, and most accurate source for historical data is a primary source. This information recounts first-hand records or evidence of events. Primary sources can be photographs, original illustrations, research journals, articles, diary entries, speeches, interviews and autobiographies. 

Secondary sources are a compilation, summarization, recounting or analysis of primary sources. Examples of secondary sources are textbooks, biographies, commentaries and criticisms.

Tertiary sources are compilations of primary and secondary sources that rarely contain original information, such as websites like Wikipedia or social media. It is also important to note that websites can fall into any of the above categories depending on what material and information is published on them. 

As mentioned above, sources can be either credible or non-credible. A credible source is usually: Material published in the last 10 years, published by a reliable source like an academic or government institution and/or written by a well-known/respected author/researcher. A non-credible source is often material older than 10 years, material published without citation and material that comes from social media or other websites where information can be published or edited by anyone (ie. Wikipedia, social media etc.). These descriptors are not foolproof, however, and it is up to the researcher to use their best judgement.

Finding Credible Local Sources for History

When dealing with historical research, finding credible sources can be difficult due to the age and availability of material. Primary sources are the best way to research historical topics. Museums and research libraries are extremely important to local communities as they house and preserve those archives and first-hand accounts of information.

The Sault Ste. Marie Museum does research upon request and we have a large number of our archives digitized for use by the public. The Sault Ste. Marie Library also has a selection of local archives available by request, as does Algoma University.

The rapid speed at which information both travels and gets lost in the digital age can easily lead to misinformation spreading unintentionally. This photo was misidentified likely due to it being posted and shared on Facebook and Pinterest with a missing or incomplete image credit. Without this information, the image loses important context and can be misinterpreted. In order to ensure that the historical information you are looking at is correct,  think critically, do your own research where possible, and when in doubt, ask an organization that has trained researchers and archives to cross reference information. 

Queen Street looking East, collection of the Sault Ste. Marie Museum