Heritage: Architecture in the "Flowery Suburb"

Architectural historian and Heritage Toronto board member Marta O'Brien introduced her topic while waiting for a projector to be fixed on 8-November-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Heritage Toronto generally doesn't put on a lot of lectures. The bulk of its activities are walks or dedications, usually outside. So, perhaps it should not have been surprising that an illustrated lecture entitled "Parkdale: The 'Flowery Suburb'" drew a standing-room-only crowd to the Community Room at the recently rehabilitated Bloor-Gladstone Library in Toronto, Ontario last evening.

The talk was given by Architectural historian and Heritage Toronto board member Marta O'Brien, who had clearly enjoyed her exploration of what is now a somewhat neglected neighbourhood on the western side of town. O'Brien noted that Parkdale had been incorporated as a village in 1874 with a population of just 875; by 1886, it had become a town with four wards, and it was absorbed into Toronto in 1889. I loved the quote from 1881 that only two policemen "one for night, one for day [were] sufficient for public order."

The talk weaved the history of Parkdale with pictures of its architectural landmarks, some of which survive to this day, but others do not. I was struck by one of those losses, Elm Grove constructed in 1836, as it was a regency-style building designed by John Howard that bore a strong resemblance to other Howard buildings in Toronto, including Howard's own surviving home, Colbourne Lodge in High Park, with its large veranda.


The yellow tones of the projected images were only a minor distraction to the talk on Parkdale's architectural history by Marta O'Brien on 8-November-2010

While projector issues delayed the start of the talk and caused a colour shift in the images, this was only a minor distraction to a knowledgeable audience. The Scholes Hotel, built in 1884, was recognizable as being at King at Roncesvalles. The house at 63 O'Hara is a rare wood structure dating from before 1884. Amongst the classic Victorian and Queen Anne homes along King, the 1890-era building at 200 Dunn featured a monogrammed roof which I had never noticed before.

In its earliest days, as its name implied, Parkdale was trying to be a cleaner, healthier alternative to Toronto and some of its other suburbs, as pushed by (amongst others) a man named William Irvin Mackenzie, who became known as the "father of Parkdale" in the 1870's. Thus, there was a certain irony that row houses he opposed, including the 1883 Trenton Terrace and 1889-91 Melbourne Place, both planned by Alway Beecroft, have survived to this day. Perhaps the biggest irony, though, surrounds 103-105 West Lodge. The 1965 structure has become symbolic of the poor landlords in high-rises along Jameson in southern Parkdale and is largely reviled today--yet it won an architectural award prior to its opening.

O'Brien's presentation made me want to go look at many of the surviving structures in Parkdale--but the schedule for Heritage Toronto walks, undoubtedly including the neighbourhood, won't be released until spring.

Heritage: Toronto the Warrior City

Paul Federico, an expert on military history and artifacts, spoke to the Swansea Historical Society in Toronto, Ontario on 3-November-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - In the modern era, thinking of Toronto (or even Canada as a whole) as a place of warriors seems rather bizarre. However, in his presentation to the monthly meeting of the Swansea Historical Society last night, Paul Federico made the case that Toronto has long been a city of warriors, dating back to pre-Colombian times.


Uniforms including silver leaf were amongst the artifacts brought by Paul Federico to Swansea Town Hall in Toronto, Ontario on 3-November-2010

That thesis might be a bit of a stretch even in Federico's eyes, but there are definitely some great stories in Toronto military history, and he told quite a number I had never heard before. The term "sedentary militia," for example, refers to those in the era of the war of 1812 that were assigned to stay and defend their local communities instead of being commanded on a campaign. He pointed out some of the ridiculous uniforms worn in that era as well, with ornamentation that actually made it easier for the other side to take aim. He also mentioned that during the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, the "English" troops actually included 1,500 Scots and 900 Irish amongst 4,800 total--and that John Graves Simcoe had been designated to lead the fight against Napoleon until he died prior to taking command. Imagine how that might have changed history, or at least the perception of Ontario's (er, Upper Canada's) first Lieutenant Governor.


Paul Federico held up material used by British troops to make socks in the nineteenth century while speaking to the Swansea Historical Society in Toronto, Ontario on 3-November-2010

Another interesting anecdote was that 350 local Mohawks had been sent to paddle up the Nile during the Mahdist Revolt of 1884, since they knew how to handle themselves on Ontario waterways--but they did not arrive in time to save Charles George Gordon. Probably my favorite story from Federico related to the blue laws that once so defined Toronto. As troops were not allowed to purchase alcohol in the city, they came up with the idea of sending out a dog with a money pouch, who was trained to go a specific store, where he would be outfitted with two kegs of ale and would then return to Fort York. The practice proved controversial, but was ultimately ruled legal since dogs had the "freedom of the city" and were allowed to carry alcohol, and certainly the practice improved troop morale.

Some stories went beyond the troops. After the United States captured Toronto in the War of 1812, they made the captured troops sign a parole document saying they would not fight for the next year before they were released. There were only 300 troops at Fort York at the time--yet 1300 people signed parole documents. It seems potential draftees from all around Toronto came into town to sign the documents in order to avoid being called up to military service for the next year.


A variety of World War I through 1990's artifacts and accouterments provided by Paul Federico were found in Swansea Town Hall on 3-November-2010

The future for military artifacts in Toronto may be quite bright. Currently, there are quite a number of things preserved, but they are located in scattered locations, mostly active or retiree posts of various kinds. However, the Stanley Barracks from "New Fort York," which has most recently been a vacant building on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds, is slated to become a military museum under the care of the 32nd regiment as part of the construction of a new hotel. When that opens, it won't be necessary to find Paul Federico to learn about Toronto as a warrior city.

Heritage: Riverdale Library Turns 100

The Riverdale Library branch at Gerrard and Broadview in Toronto, Ontario re-opened for its 100th anniversary on 2-October-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Only three library branches in the 99-branch Toronto Public Library system have made it to age 100--Annette, Yorkville, and now Riverdale. The Riverdale Library, designed by city architect Robert McCallum in the Georgian Revival style, opened in 1910 and was renovated in time to open for its 100th anniversary this past Saturday.


A series of cakes helped celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Riverdale Library in Toronto, Ontario as seen on 2-October-2010

While the Riverdale branch was the last of four libraries built in Toronto using funds from Andrew Carnegie, it doesn't look like a typical Carnegie Library. Because of the shape of the property (a former garden of the Don Jail Governor's House), the entrance is at the corner (of Gerrard and Broadview) instead of the middle of the building, adding yet more interest to a building that would be notable for surviving this long serving its original purpose regardless.


City Librarian Jane Pyper and City Councillor Paula Fletcher held up the certificate honouring 100 years of service at the Riverdale Library on 2-October-2010

Ceremonies to honour the milestone were held on Saturday at the library, immediately after a Heritage Toronto walk which started at a previous library site (to be covered in a future post). A variety of dignitaries from Toronto Public Libraries and the city were on-hand to speak about the first one hundred years and about the new features that had been added during renovations.


A variety of Chinese food provided by the local Chinese Chamber of Commerce provided refreshments after the formal ceremonies at the Riverdale Library on 2-October-2010

Being Toronto, there was of course a strong multicultural element to the event. The Riverdale branch is located near Toronto's "second" Chinatown, and the local Chinese Chamber of Commerce sponsored the catering of the event. The diversity of faces was typical of Toronto, with all kinds of skin tones found wandering the library, from the new children's section to the new bank of computers near the entrance to the new self check-out stations.


Self check-out, like at this station, was one of the new features of the Riverdale Library when it re-opened on 2-October-2010

The Riverdale Library is now open for its normal business hours, and seems well-positioned to serve its community for another century.

Heritage: A Hidden Air Raid Siren

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Recently, while reading the latest edition of Spacing magazine, I was surprised to find a short article on air raid sirens in Toronto. It featured a nice Matthew Blackett photo of an air raid siren on a pole in Bayview Village Park and a short explanation of its history. What really attracted my attention was that, almost in passing, it mentioned that there are two more such sirens, one at the Harbourfront Centre, and one at the northwest corner of Dundas and Shaw near Trinity Bellwoods Park.


Was there an air raid siren hidden in the background of this view of Dundas and Shaw in Toronto, taken from the edge of Trinity Bellwoods Park, on 21-August-2010?

While definitely not in my neighbourhood, the corner of Dundas and Shaw was hardly an exotic place to me. It's on the Garrison Creek discovery walk, for one, not far from the route of the annual Good Friday Procession, for another, and Dundas Street West is part of the fastest route for me to walk downtown. Yet, in the multitude of times I had walked past this location, I had never caught a whiff of an air raid siren overhead.

It just happened that the next time I walked past Dundas and Shaw was within a few days of reading the article, and as I approached the corner, despite being in a bit of a hurry, I decided to cross the street and see if I could find it on the northwest corner. Sure enough, behind the first row of trees lining Shaw Street, there it was. As it was basically hidden by trees on three sides, I could see why Blackett chose to feature the one at Bayview Village Park. Still, it was definitely there.


The air raid siren was indeed towering above the trees outside a retirement home in Toronto, Ontario on 21-August-2010

It looked about the same as not only the air raid siren Blackett had featured, but also just about every other Cold War-era air raid siren I've ever seen in the western United States. According to Blackett, they remain in Toronto because "the City claims the Province is responsible for them, Provincial staff say it's a Department of National Defence matter, and the DND claims the city has the right to remove them."

They've been there so long now that they practically qualify for a heritage designation, or at least placement in Toronto's city museum, if that ever comes to be. To think that I walked by one for years without ever noticing rather boggles my mind. Thank you to Spacing and Matthew Blackett for causing me to take note.

Heritage: Northwest Railway Museum

The excursion train (at left) had tied up for the day at the historic Snoqualmie, Washington depot on 26-June-2010

BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON - If the family history is correct, I took my first excursion train ride at what was then the Puget Sound & Snoqualmie Valley railroad between Snoqualmie and Snoqualmie Falls, Washington. The heritage railway had come to be on a former Northern Pacific branch line when the Burlington Northern abandoned it in favor of access to the area above Snoqualmie Falls using a former Milwaukee Road line from Cedar Falls. I hadn't actually ridden the line since, despite its extension to North Bend, so this year it was time to finally rectify that.


Recently-restored Northern Pacific boxcars sat outside the Conservation and Restoration Center of the Northwest Railway Museum on 26-June-2010

In the intervening time, the organization has become the Northwest Railway Museum and focused its efforts on restoring what had been a very publicly decaying fleet of rolling stock and displays. A major step in that effort was getting grant money to build a Conservation and Restoration Center along the excursion line east of Snoqualmie. Equipped with a drop pit and a growing collection of classic tools, the facility is now the site of a lot of work on the locomotives and cars at the museum. Soon to be added to the complex is a four-track train shed, nearly half a football field in length, which will be able to store in climate-controlled conditions the entire current active fleet of the museum.


The new train shed at the Northwest Railway Museum was nearly ready for occupancy when viewed near Snoqualmie, Washington on 26-June-2010

Thanks to the kindness of a museum volunteer that I had worked with on other projects in the past, I was able to tour the new facilities and see the projects that were underway. The 1951-era Fairbanks-Morse H-12-44 diesel is well along to returning to operation, and I was impressed with the progress on former Spokane, Portland, and Seattle coach #218, built in 1912 and well along to returning to its 1920's appearance. Before long, the unique "Messenger of Peace" chapel car will be taking its turn in the facility.


The interior of former Spokane, Portland, and Seattle passenger car #218 was under restoration at the Conservation and Restoration Center of the Northwest Railway Museum on 26-June-2010

The reason to come out to the Northwest Railway Museum, though, is mostly to ride the train, currently hauled by former Army RS-4TC diesels. The 9.0-mile round trip from North Bend to Snoqualmie Falls and back makes for a leisurely 70-minute ride. While the line may be best known for its tree-obscured view of Snoqualmie Falls, the best views are of the Snoqualmie Valley below the falls (which featured a Peregrine Falcon watching the train on my trip), and of Mount Si (famous from the "Twin Peaks" television show), visible from many locations on the line.


Mount Si appeared beyond the south fork of the Snoqualmie River as viewed from a Northwest Railway Museum excursion train on 26-June-2010

The real treat for younger riders was hiding, though--Thomas was on hand for his upcoming visit in July. For more information on the excursions and the Day Out with Thomas, see the Northwest Railway Museum web site.

Heritage: The Iron Goat Trail

The double-track concrete snowshed constructed at the site of the Wellington, Washington disaster still stood over the Iron Goat Trail on 23-June-2010

BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON - Since 1929, when the "new" 7.8 mile Cascade Tunnel opened underneath Steven Pass, the Great Northern, Burlington Northern, and BNSF railways have been avoiding the worst of winter weather by passing underneath the crest of the Cascade Mountains at an altitude of about 2,900 feet. That wasn't true when the Great Northern was first constructed in 1893, employing switchbacks to travel over the full height of Stevens Pass at about 4,000 feet. To bypass the switchbacks, the "original" 2.6 mile Cascade Tunnel was opened in 1900 underneath the summit, but the approach to this first tunnel still faced severe winter operating conditions.


The western portal of the original Cascade Tunnel was viewed near the historic site of Wellington, Washington on 23-June-2010

Those conditions were most ferocious in the winter of 1910. A severe snowstorm struck the Cascades in February. Two trains, one passenger and one mail, from Spokane to Seattle, Washington were first stranded east of the tunnel and then proceeded through the tunnel to Wellington, where they were again trapped on 23-February-1910 as eleven feet of snow fell in one day and the maintenance crews could not keep up. On 28-February-1910, the snow turned to rain and conditions became precarious. In early morning hours of 1-March-1910, an avalanche came down Windy Mountain and destroyed both trains, killing 96 people. It was the most deadly avalanche in the history of the United States. For more on the Wellington Disaster, see the article on HistoryLink.

In the wake of the Wellington disaster, concrete snowsheds were built at the site of the avalanche, the town of Wellington was renamed Tye, and most importantly, the Great Northern decided to build a new, lower tunnel. In 1929, the original Cascade Tunnel line was abandoned, saving 9.5 miles of distance, an hour of operating time, and avoiding most of the conditions that had led to the disaster.


Kathy and Chuck Gleich posed at milepost 1713 (from St. Paul, Minnesota) on the Iron Goat Trail near Wellington, Washington on 23-June-2010

The disaster and the railroad was far from forgotten, however. In 1976, the Stevens Pass Historic District was designated by the state of Washington, and the Volunteers for Outdoor Washington subsequently constructed the Iron Goat Trail mostly on the original railroad right-of-way between the west portal of the "new" Cascades Tunnel at Scenic and the portal of the "old" Cascades Tunnel near Wellington. The trail is fully accessible in many sections, and offers the opportunity to see how the Great Northern was constructed and re-constructed in over 35 years of service.


An adit to one of the "Twin Tunnels" along the original Great Northern route over Stevens Pass was viewed from the Iron Goat Trail on 23-June-2010

The Iron Goat Trail offers the opportunity to see the remains of support structures at Wellington, tunnels, and snowsheds along the route, as well as the views that passengers would have seen when taking the route prior to 1929. Some of the structures are quite interesting, including the extensive concrete snowsheds built on the site of the Wellington Disaster in 1911, collapsed wooden showsheds, and an adit (horizontal shaft) into one of several tunnels on the route. Interpretative signs are located throughout the route.


Indian Paintbrush were amongst the spring flowers in bloom along the Iron Goat Trail in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state on 23-June-2010

In this 100th anniversary year of the disaster, my family did not walk the trail near the winter anniversary, but instead did it in the spring, affording the opportunity to view wildflowers along the trail, including trillium, Indian paintbrush, and lupin. For its historical significance and a glimpse of mountain railroading the way it was a century ago, the Iron Goat Trail is a significant resource less than two hours from Seattle.

Heritage: Aggie's Wildflower Walk

Madeleine McDowell examined a plant with her cane in the the Magwood Sanctuary in Toronto, Ontario on 9-May-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - In the 1860's, what is now the Warren Park neighbourhood of Toronto was a relative wilderness adjacent to Lambton Mills. In 1865, a newly-widowed Agnes Dunbar Moodie Fitzgibbon was left nearly-destitute, and with her oldest daughter not in good health, chose to move the area. There, she was inspired by the spring flowers to make the first Canadian botanical book. With text written by her author aunt Catharine Parr Traill, Agnes Moodie illustrated "Canadian Wildflowers," and the two went to great lengths to ensure that the book was published entirely in Canada in 1868.


A portrait of Agnes Moodie after she re-married (in 1870) to a military man named Chamberlain was found in the Lambton House in Toronto, Ontario on 9-May-2010

Thus, the area around Warren Park holds a special significance in Canadian history. While residences have displaced much of the wild space present in the 1860's, park space remains along the Humber River and the Magwood Sanctuary still exists at the foot of Bâby Point. It is in the Magwood Sanctuary that direct descendant of the plants illustrated in "Canadian Wildflowers" still grow.


A wild ginger flower was found in the Magwood Sanctuary in Toronto, Ontario during the wildflower walk on 9-May-2010

It has become an annual tradition for an "Aggie's Wildflower Walk" to take place on Mother's Day to explore the area to see what species from "Canadian Wildflowers" still exist in the area. Quite often, the bulk of the interest comes in the Magwood Sanctuary, as was the case this year. With an early spring, some of the expected wildflowers were past their peak. Ontario's provincial flower, for example, the trillium, had largely faded from white to pink, but was still present. Amongst the interesting species found were Jack-in-the-Pulpit, May apples, wild ginger, celandine, and a wide variety of violets. Most interesting, oak trees were sprouting out of the ground at the edge of sanctuary, creating a new generation of trees descended from those that were there in the 1860's.


White trillium, and other flowers faded to pink, were found in the Magwood Sanctuary during Aggie's Wildflower Walk on 9-May-2010

Upon completion of the walk, the group returned to the historic Lambton House, and were treated to tea from our guide for the walk, local historian Madeleine McDowell. Sometimes it's hard to believe the history in one's own neighbourhood--especially when it is growing in the ground.

More photos from Aggie's Wildflower Walk will appear in a future update to my photo site

Heritage: Bloor West Loblaw

TORONTO, ONTARIO - More by coincidence than design, this year's Swansea Historical Society Calendar (still available at Swansea Town Hall for $8) includes the locations of past locations of the Loblaw grocery stores in what today is called the Bloor West Village neighbourhood of Toronto. A look at the locations today presents an interesting microcosm of the village.


The first location of Loblaw in the Bloor West Village of Toronto is now a variety store on the right side of this building seen on 4-March-2010

The first location of Loblaw was at 2428 Bloor Street West, just east of Jane Street, and appears in the background of the November 2010 calendar page. Labeled as "Loblaw Groceteria," the location likely opened during the large expansion of Loblaw in the early 1930's explained on the Loblaw history page. The location has now become a long-standing variety store on a portion of the block which has been most affected by the recession.


The second location of "Loblaws" in Bloor West was about a block west of the original location, a building that was without a tenant on 4-March-2010

Sometime after World War II, Loblaw moved into a new building west of Jane Street at 2450 Bloor Street West. While the "Loblaws" sign is now gone, the remainder of the facade looks almost exactly as it appears in the background of the March 2010 calendar page. The building is currently vacant, last occupied by a short-lived electronics discount store that closed in 2009.


The third location of Loblaws remains a grocery store, a franchised No Frills location near Kennedy and Bloor observed on 4-March-2010

By the late 1950's, Loblaw had again moved to a larger location. The streamline moderne architecture of the previous location carried over to new location well to the east near Kennedy at 2187 Bloor Street West. That location today remains a grocery retail outlet in the Loblaw family, as it became a No Frills in the late 1970's. It now operates as Nicholson's No Frills after the No Frills locations were sold to franchisees in the 1980's.


The closest Loblaws to Bloor West Village is now the Humbercrest Loblaws on Dundas Street West west of Jane, seen on 11-March-2010

To recapture the upscale customers in the area, Loblaw subsequently opened a new location which is considered to be in Etobicoke at 3671 Dundas Street West, west of Jane Street. The Humbercrest Loblaws remains open to this day, continuing a tradition of serving the Bloor West area which has now extended for three-quarters of a century.

Heritage: Unbuilt Toronto

Author Mark Osbaldeston prepared to give a talk on his "Unbuilt Toronto" book to the Swansea Historical Society on 3-February-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - For some reason, despite all the awards it has received, I had never bothered to read the book "Unbuilt Toronto." Thus, when author Mark Osbaldeston spoke at the Swansea Historical Society last night, the material he presented was all new to me, and made it all the more obvious to me why the book has won such profound praise.

While the book was organized by topic (unbuilt transportation, retail, etc.), in his presentation, Osbaldeston instead took a street segment, Queen Street West from Yonge to University, and chose to highlight all the unbuilt projects related to that area. Being in the core of downtown Toronto, that meant everything from a Queen Street subway for streetcars to a much larger version of the Eaton Centre to a wonderful monument traffic circle that could have been built near Queen and University to hide the jog in University that would have cost just five figures.

Much of the presentation focused on what would happen on the location that today hosts City Hall and Nathan Philips Square. Originally purchased by the city to create a civic square between (now-Old) City Hall and Osgoode Hall, the property languished for years as different proposals, many of them replacing Old City Hall, came and went. One was even an early version of a Public-Private Partnership, which would have built a new building on the Old City Hall site that would have initially contained retail space catering to downtown workers until the city needed additional space. Most surprising to me were the proposals to create a "Federal Avenue" (later going under other names) that would have run from the center of Union Station directly to the site on Queen. Imagine what it would be like today to look from City Hall or Union Station and see the other building!

Arguably the most visionary project was Buckminster Fuller's proposal for re-connecting Toronto with its waterfront, including an atrium in which University Avenue would have extended south, crossed the railway lands, and reached Lake Ontario. It seems amazing today that more than forty years later, Toronto is still trying to re-connect with Lake Ontario, making progress in fits and starts. This proved to be a major theme of Osbaldeston's presentation, that old ideas come back and are eventually implemented. The current Eglinton light rail designs resemble the original Queen designs, much of Toronto's retail did move north (just to Bloor, not College), and George Brown College is building a waterfront campus.

Yet, the bigger theme appeared to be that Toronto has (almost) always developed pragmatically. The Eaton's plans for a mega-city development did not proceed because there just weren't enough prospective tenants. The monument traffic circle on University wasn't built because the construction of the University extension was funded by a local improvement district that wasn't interested in such niceties. Most amazingly, the parking lot underneath City Hall was built first, to help fund the project, and all proposals for the design had to incorporate the already-existing garage!

Considering this reality, it's amazing that we have the significant buildings we do have in Toronto. Mark Osbaldeston did a great job of putting that in perspective.

Heritage: More on 7 Austin Terrace

BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON - Long-time readers of this blog may remember a piece done back in September on 7 Austin Terrace in Toronto, Ontario near Casa Loma. The 1922 building, built for John B. Maclean, the founder of what has become Maclean's magazine, was in limbo, with an unknown developer proposing to remove it in favor of much taller condos using apparently-sneaky tactics, and the community having difficulty figuring out what to do about the situation.

I was contacted yesterday in reference to that old blog post, as it seems that the situation around 7 Austin Terrace is changing. No less than Maclean's has run an article accusing the developer of trying to vandalize the building. As described in the article, many of the heritage features have been removed in an attempt to prevent the city from designating it as a heritage structure. Maclean's identifies the developer in question as John Todd.

Further details revealed by an article in the Toronto Star seem consistent with this interpretation. Thanks to the authority of the Ontario Municipal Board, there appears to be nothing that the city of Toronto can do; Todd has won.

For those who wish to boycott Todd's other developments, there appears to be a partial list on one of his other companies' web sites.

Further developments will likely be tracked at the Heritage Toronto and Toll Keeper's Cottage web sites.

Heritage: Homemade Movies

A projector was prepared to show home movies shot in and around what was then the Village of Swansea now in Toronto, Ontario, at the meeting of the Swansea Historical Society on 7-October-2009

TORONTO, ONTARIO - The Swansea Historical Society opened its 2009-10 season of meetings on 7-October-2009 with a presentation on home movies. In recent years, the historical value of home movies has been realized because of the details that they include in the coverage of everyday life in an era or specific neighbourhood, and because of their durability as a medium.

Groups have sprung up across the world to assist in the preservation of home movies, and the primary group around Toronto is Homemade Movies. Two representatives of that group visited the Swansea Historical Society and came with a variety of movies from around Toronto in the 1950's which were supplemented by those of members.

One of the home movies was of the Royal Visit to Toronto in 1959, which compared with official movies of this event that I had seen was a nice reminder of just how perplexing parades can be to the common person trying to stand on the sidewalk and just take in the event. Two major fires in Swansea were shown, dramatically showing the extent of the flames and volunteer firefighters at work. In another film, the grocery store in Bloor West Village, now a No Frills, was shown not only to be a Loblaw's but to have streamline moderne architecture in that era. There was even an appearance of a new Ford Edsel in the movie, backing out of a driveway and heading down Kennedy Avenue in Toronto.


A Keystone Commander projector from the 1950's once owned by Jimmy Nelson was on display at the Swansea Historical Society meeting on 7-October-2009

For those interested in seeing more historical home movies or in preserving their own movies, Homemade Movies and the Revue Cinema in Toronto are putting on a Home Movie Day on Saturday, 17-October-2009. See the flyer link for more information.

Heritage: Simcoe Walk 2009

Walk leader Madeleine McDowell (at left) and a local resident portraying Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe (at right) introduced the re-enactment of the first day of Simcoe's 1793 walk up the Toronto Carrying Place on 26-September-2009

TORONTO, ONTARIO - On 25-September-1793, the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe, started a trip up the Toronto Carrying Place, the main route from Lake Ontario northward to the Georgian Bay and a longtime aboriginal trading roue. On 26-September-2009, more than two hundred years later, a re-enactment of that first day, following as closely as possible to the original, was led by historian Madeleine McDowell. McDowell grew up and currently lives right on the route of the Toronto Carrying Place.


The marshes of the Humber River, which was named by Simcoe, was observed near the beginning of the Toronto Carrying Place in what is now the Swansea neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario on 26-September-2009

The walk began at the "Rousseaux site," which is the surprisingly little-known location of the 1750 French Fort Toronto and the also site of the first permanent settlement in what is today Toronto, built by Jean-Baptiste Rousseaux in the late 1780's. Located not far from Lake Ontario and overlooking the Humber River in what today is the Swansea neighbourhood of Toronto, it marked the southern end of the Toronto Carrying Place, which headed up the eastern side of the river.


A private monument to the poet Robert Burns was found along the route of the Toronto Carrying Place in the Swansea neighbourhood of Toronto on 26-September-2009

I had never traveled the Toronto Carrying Place before, and did not know exactly where it had been in most locations. While the path starts out along the Humber River, it pretty rapidly takes to the highlands above the ravine farther to the east, crossing Bloor Street (for example) at what today is Armadale Avenue. Quite a number of interesting sights--most of them not there in 1793--exist today along the route, including the former home of author Lucy Maud Montgomery, a private monument to poet Robert Burns, a street named after hockey star Phil Esposito, and many oak trees that were standing when Simcoe took his walk. Small detours led to historical locations like the Iroquian village of Teiaiagon or modern overlooks of the Humber River.


During a small detour, the Simcoe walk visited the former site of the Iroquian village of Teiaiagon on 26-September-2009

The location where Simcoe stopped for lunch is today in Smythe Park north of St. Clair Avenue west, right along Black Creek. From there, it was a surprisingly short walk to where the party stopped for the day, near what today is Eglinton Avenue. By the time we arrived there, only five of us remained to contemplate the exact location of the campground and discuss the relative imbalance of Simcoe's day.


The most dedicated participants in the Simcoe walk discussed the location of the first camp site near the Humber River at Eglinton Avenue in Toronto, Ontario on 26-September-2009

The Simcoe Walk re-enactment took about five hours to re-trace what had taken Simcoe a day, easily the longest organized walk I had taken in Toronto this year. Connecting most of the historical locations within walking distance of my residence, it was a learning experience that really meant something to me.

Heritage: Etobicoke-York Heritage Fair

Hosts in period costumes tended to a fire outside Montgomery Inn's in Toronto, Ontario during the Etobicoke-York Heritage Fair on 10-September-2009

TORONTO, ONTARIO - One of the signs of the end of summer in the capitol of Ontario is the Etobicoke-York Heritage Fair. Before this event, most of the local historical societies take the summer off; afterward, their regular meetings resume throughout the autumn, winter and spring.


Montgomery's Inn in Toronto, Ontario as it appeared on Canada Day, 1-July-2008

Montgomery's Inn itself dates from 1832, one of the hotel stops along what is now Dundas Street heading west from Toronto. Saved by groups including the Etobicoke Historical Society, the inn now serves as a museum, regularly open and serving tea and dessert in its tea room. The Heritage Fair is just one of several special events held at its location along Mimico Creek.


Volunteers handled cobs during the corn roast as part of the Heritage Fair at Montgomery's Inn on 10-September-2009

Food is always part of events at Montgomery's Inn--at many events, the historic kitchen is busy coming up with homemade ice cream, cookies, or other baked goods. At the Heritage Fair, the focus is on the corn roast, as corn-on-the-cob rivals hot dogs as the food of choice for the evening.


Groups from New Toronto and Islington Village to Weston and Swansea had displays at the Heritage Fair in Toronto, Ontario on 10-September-2009

One of the great things about the Heritage Fair is that all of the western Toronto heritage groups attend, making it possible to collect information on their upcoming season of activities all at once without attending any of their individual meetings. This year, tables were staffed by the Etobicoke Historical Society, Weston Historical Society, Applewood, la Société d’histoire de Toronto, New Toronto Historical Society, the Village of Islington, Swansea Historical Society, and the Etobicoke-York Community Preservation Panel.


Folk music was played outside Montgomery's Inn in Toronto, Ontario during the Heritage Fair on 10-September-2009

The finishing touch of the evening was live folk music performed outside the inn throughout the event. It was almost enough to forget that summer is almost over--but at least I know what to look forward to at the next Swansea Historical Society meeting.

Heritage: Historic Owosso

The writing studio of James Curwood, built in 1922 in Owosso, Michigan, still stood as a museum on 25-July-2009

FLINT, MICHIGAN - While most of the attention in Owosso, Michigan this weekend is focused on the ongoing Train Festival and its heritage railroad equipment, Owosso itself offers quite a heritage on display.

The first home of a European built at the city's present site along the Shiawassee River was constructed in 1836--and it still stands today. The cabin of Elias Comstock has been moved twice, but today stands only a few hundred meters (er, yards) from its original location, in a park along the river. Just as few cities in Michigan can claim never to have been a village before a city, Owosso can not only claim city-only status, but can claim that its first permanent building still stands.


The Comstock Cabin from the mid-1830's had been moved, but still stood in Owosso, Michigan on 25-July-2009

Standing not far from the Comstock Cabin is the unusual appearance of the Curwood Castle. Constructed as a workshop by novelist James Oliver Curwood in 1922, he wrote in the tower of the building. Upon his death, the structure was donated to the city. Before the establishment of the Steam Railroading Institute, the Curwood Castle was the primary tourist attraction in Owosso, as it contained the city museum besides being interesting in its own right.


On 25-July-2009, a Tim Horton's occupied the plot where Thomas Dewey had been born in Owosso, Michigan

Perhaps the most interesting piece of history in Owosso to a Canadian was the birthplace of Thomas Dewey. The well-known politician who would almost become President of the United States was born near the Shiawasse River--on a site that is now occupied by the most Canadian of institutions--a Tim Horton's restaurant. One wonders what Dewey would think about that.

Most of the steam locomotives will leave after this weekend, but Owosso has its interesting heritage on display every day.

Heritage: Fairbank Walking Tour

Walk leader Madeleine McDowell held up a photo of the Toronto Beltline Railroad crossing of Dufferin Street as it appeared nearly a century before the Heritage Toronto walk through the Village of Fairbank on 5-July-2009

TORONTO, ONTARIO - The present day "mega-city" of Toronto is not just the agglomeration of six municipalities that occurred in 1998. Those six municipalities were themselves made up of many smaller entities, many of which even long-term residents of Toronto may be ignorant about. The village of Fairbank was one such entity that I personally knew almost nothing about, but that was rectified by the Heritage Toronto walking tour on the village held last Sunday, 5-July-2009, led by longtime Heritage York historian Madeleine McDowell.


The 1855 Parsons Farmhouse was still a residence along Stayner Avenue in Toronto, Ontario on 5-July-2009, though now it was surrounded by other homes

In the 19th century, Fairbank was just a set of farms near the crossing of the Base Line (now Eglinton Avenue) and the Third Concession Line (now Dufferin Street). It gained its name because of a view that extended from some of the high ground all the way to Lake Ontario and the breeze that tended to keep it cooler in the summer--hence, a fair bank. One of the 1855 farm houses still remains in its original location, though now it no longer is surrounded by a farm but by a dense residential area.


Fairbank United Church, observed on 5-July-2009, had opened as Fairbank Methodist Church in 1889

While the local area gradually grew with new schools and churches constructed throughout the century, the arrival of the short-lived Toronto Beltline Railroad in the 1892 symbolically marked the beginning of Fairbank as a suburb. While the railroad was closed by 1894, as the years went on more and more people decided to live in areas like Fairbank with clearer air, more affordable housing, and generally more relaxing living conditions than downtown Toronto. A move to the suburbs had started.


Mary Watson listened to the Heritage Toronto talk at Watson Park in Fairbank on 5-July-2009. Her great-grandparents had helped found Fairbank and their home had once been on the park site.

One of the real treats of the walk was the presence of Mary Watson. Watson's family has lived in Fairbank for more than a century. Watson Park, in fact, was land donated by her family. She presented the history of the Fairbank United Church, which had been built in 1889 as the Fairbank Methodist Church.

Fairbank may not be one Toronto's better-known neighbourhoods, but it offers a lot to learn about the history of the city.