Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in Canada

My life is gliding downwards; it speeds swifter to the day
When it shoots the last dark Canyon to the Plains of Far-away,
But while its stream is running through the years that are to be,
The mighty voice of Canada will ever call to me.

-from The Athabasca Trail by Arthur Conan Doyle, 1914

Arthur Conan Doyle had a fondness for Canada that was apparent in the many positive things he had to say about our country’s natural beauty, social and economic potential, and key role in the British Commonwealth. Conan Doyle visited Canada on four occasions. The first visit in 1894 was part of a literary tour; the 1914 trip was a pleasure tour organized by the Canadian Government to promote western tourism, and the visits he made in 1922 and 1923 were chiefly part of his efforts to promote the Spiritualist cause.

Many of these items were donated by or purchased with the generous assistance of the Friends of the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection.
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