Bus Tour

Below is a slide show of photographs taken on the Black Creek Living History Bus Tour, which took place on September 29, 2010. Our fabulous tour guide for the day Tom Peace, a PhD candidate in the History Department at York University, led us through a drive-by history of the neighbourhood, while Wendy Rowney and Jay Todd led the group through Black Creek Pioneer Village and Downsview Park respectively.

Each stop on the bus tour reflects the early history of the Black Creek area, which includes the modern day Jane-Finch and Downsview neighbourhoods. Historically the modern day area known as Black Creek was made up of the five smaller communities listed below. These locations follow the route of the Black Creek Living History Bus Tour.

• • Downsview was the community located around Keele Street and Sheppard Avenue.

  • Elia was located north of Downsview at the intersection of Keele Street and Finch Avenue.

  • Kaiserville was to the northwest at Jane Street and Steeles Avenue.

  • Edgley was further north at Jane Street and Highway 7.

  • Fischerville was to the east at Steeles Avenue and Dufferine Street.

Until the beginning of the railroad, these communities were relatively isolated and focused on local centres such as Thornhill and Richmond Hill. As transportation improved however, the orientation of these communities shifted towards Toronto. Today, with the exception of Edgley, all of these communities are located within the boundaries of the City of Toronto.