French language historical societies, such as the Société historique franco-américaine (SFHA) and the Société historique de Saint-Boniface (SHSB) play a key role in the development of a historic consciousness in Manitoba and New England. Their mere existence in a minority setting helps establish the boundaries of the territory upon which the historical accounts of the French and French-Canadians are set. Although their publications were generally geared towards a French Canadian readership, both historical societies published texts in English, destined for the majority with whom they were destined to cohabitate. How has writing for “others” influenced their interpretation of historic events? And how has the underlying identity discourse been presented to the English majority? By conducting a comparative analysis of two English language publications, as well as a selection of French language texts and publications, this article wishes to better understand the impact of language and readership on the elaboration of an identity discourse, firmly rooted in the past.