Tour Itinerary
What follows is a summary, written by Tom Peace, of the stops visited on the Black Creek Living History Bus Tour.
Local Tensions (moving south from Black Creek Pioneer Village on Murray Ross Parkway to Shoreham Drive):
This portion of Murray Ross Parkway crosses the property of two of the area’s oldest settlers. In the north, at Black Creek Pioneer Village, was the property of Daniel Stong; in the south, underneath the Tennis Canada stadium, was the property of Peter Erlin Kaiser. Although neighbours these two men did not get along. Upon Kaiser’s death, Daniel Stong forbade his burial in the community cemetery. Instead, Kaiser was buried on his property under a grove of black cherry trees. Local legend claims that these trees were dug up when Murray Ross Parkway was built.
The homes of York University (Pond and Sentinel Roads):
Two nineteenth century buildings remain in this area of the York University campus. The first, known as Hoover House, is located on the south side of Pond Road and atop the eastern edge of the Black Creek Ravine. The house was built in 1848 by Abraham Hoover and his father Christian. The Hoovers, who were Pennsylvanian Germans, were distantly related to Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the United States, whose branch of the family remained in the US. Today fruit trees from the Hoover estate can still be found along the edges of the ravine. Hart House can be found on the north side of the street across from the Passy Gardens residence. Although being over 170 years old, this hand-hewn squared timber home was not originally built here. It was moved down to the Hoover property from King Township in the 1930s to serve as the Hart family’s summer retreat. It was used by the family until purchased by York University in 1964.
The Parsons Site (Sentinel Road):
The Parson’s site was a 15th century Iroquoain village that has been studied by archaeologists since the 1950s. Although today the site is dominated by a hydro-corridor and large apartment building, in the 15th century the walled village would have been home to at least 10 longhouses and a vibrant community. The village likely only existed for around 10-20 years. Iroquoian villages tended to move their location when agricultural yields declined due to soil exhaustion. It is likely that the people who lived in the village were the ancestors of the Huron-Wendat who lived around Georgian Bay two centuries later. More information on the Parson’s Site can be found by visiting: http://blackcreekwalk.wordpress.com/the-walk/3-parsons-site-hydro-corridor-and-black-creek-1200/
The Power of the Environment (Finch Avenue at the Black Creek):
In 2005 a large thunder storm struck Toronto. The heavy rain quickly transformed the quiet and small Black Creek into a powerful river. The water flowing through the river was so strong that it ripped through Finch Avenue, closing the road for nearly nine months. Flash floods like this are partially caused by deforestation and the clearing of land for agriculture, parking lots and roads. The arrival of European settlers at the turn of the nineteenth century began a period of relatively intense deforestation. By 1900 they had cleared nearly 90% of the forest. Without trees and undergrowth to slow the rate of drainage during rain storms, rivers filled up more quickly, soil eroded in greater abundance, and daytime temperatures rose and fell more dramatically.
C.W. Jefferys (Sentinel Road south of Finch):
The image used to discuss the Parsons site was drawn by the renowned artist C.W. Jefferys. Although he lived on Yonge Street in Willowdale, C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute, the school named after him, is located on Sentinel Road south of Finch. Jefferys made it his goal to tell Canada’s past through his art. He once remarked: "If my work has stirred any interest in our country and its past, I am more than paid."
Religion at Downsview (Keele Street north of Wilson Avenue):
Downview United Church was built in 1870, although the congregation’s roots stretch as far back as 1830. Originally built as a Methodist church, this is one of the few early buildings remaining in the area. It originally cost $6,500 to build. The construction of the steeple helps us to imagine what this area looked like in the nineteenth century; it is held up by a 60 foot white pine pole. Each year parishioners were required to pay for their pews. They were charged $4 for a double, $2 for a side, and $1.50 to sit in the rear.
Downsview Airfield:
The airfield was built in 1939 as an aircraft manufacturing plant for de Haviland Aircraft. In 1947 it was purchased by the Canadian Government for the purposes of national defense. It now serves as a national park and continues as an aircraft assembly plant for Bombardier. Over the years this has been a test site for relatively well-known airplanes including the beaver, Dash-8, and Avro Arrow. Downsview was also the site of two Papal visits, one in 1984 and the other in 2002. The park is currently being transformed into a space that is more welcoming of the public; they are building walking trails and a lake off of Keele street.
Change over time (Finch Avenue between Keele Street and Dufferin Street): One of the most interesting 19th century buildings in the area is on the north side of Finch avenue between Keele and Dufferin. This church, which was originally part of the Episcopal Methodist Church, stands in stark contrast to the mid-twentieth-century oil tanks surrounding it. This contrast summarizes the dramatic changes that have taken place in this neighbourhood over the past century. Like Downsview, the church joined the United Church of Canada in the early-to-mid 1900s. It held its last United Church service in 1956.
The Heart of Elia (Keele Street and Finch Avenue):
This is an intersection that is currently undergoing dramatic change. Soon to be the home to a new subway station, this was once the centre of the nineteenth century community of Elia. In 1839 the first school was built. The language of instruction was German, reflecting the influence of Pennsylvanian Germans in the region. This school house was replaced in 1862 with another on the northwest corner – not far from where Cardinal McGuigan Catholic Secondary School stands today. In 1875, the school was rebuilt in brick and a post-office soon followed. Although none of these buildings exist today, they demonstrate the way community was built around this intersection over a century ago.