The Don River

The Don River A source of Resources + A sink for Waste Principles of Ecology Spring 2014 Washington University in St. Louis Margot Shafran

Toronto, on

the don river

Plan of York, 1818. Lieut Phillpotts, Royal Engineers. Courtesy of the University of Toronto Map and Data Library

Simcoes’s Original Town Plot (highlighted in grey). Created from J.G Chewett Plan of the Town of York, corrected, 1827

Deatail from J.G. Chewett, City of Toronot and LIberties, 1834, Toronto Public Library. Courtesy of Derek Hayes

Don River Watershed Plan, 2009

iv

Historical Ecology of the Lower Donlands, Courtesy of Michael Van Valkenburgh and Associates, Inc.

Silt from the Don Valley moving through the Eastern Gap, September 14, 1964, Les Baxter Collection, Toronto Port Authority Archives.

1882 Don River prior to straightening, 1882. Shoreline digitalized from National Map Collection, University of Toronto Map and Data Library.

1894 Don River after straightening, 1894. Shoreline digitalized from National Map Collection, University of Toronto Map and Data Library.

1918 Don River after constrction of Keating Channel, Ship Channel, and Port Industrial District in Ashbridge’s Bay,1918. Shoreline digitalized from National Map COllection, University of Toronto Map and Data Library.

1907 Don River Flood 1907, William James Family Fonds.

1920 Flood South of Wilton Ave, March 1920, James Salmon Collection

2013 Flooding May 2013. Photo by xdeguzmanhd

1951

Boarding the “Conervation Speacial� Don Station, 1951, Historical Photographs fo the Don Valley , Photographs of Charles Sauriol.

1950

Done Valley Parkway and Bayview Extension, (195?), from back cover of 1957 Metropolitan Toronto Annual Report, Courtesy of the University of Toronto Map and Data Library.

Railroad associated with teh straightening of the On River. City of Toronto Archives

Don Valley Brick Works, 1920. Courtesy of the East York Foundation Collection, Todmorden Mills Museum, City of Toronto.

Gooderham and Worts Distillery, 1858

Lamb’s Glue and Stove Blackening

Mill SItes in the Don Watershed, 1852. Prepared by Jordan Hale. Source: Ontario Department of Planning and Development, Don Valley Conservation Report, 1950.

Don Vale House, 1870, Excerted from the John Ross Robertson, Landmarks of Canada, vol. 3. Toronto Reference LIbrary, Local History Publications.

Distillery District

Evergreen Brickworks

Makeshift Dwellings in the Don Valley, 1930-1931. Courtesy of the East York Foundation Collection, Todmordon Mills Museum, City of Toronto.

Roma woman carrying water at camp on the Humber River, October 12, 1918. John Boyd Sr. Photographs, Alan Howard Fonds.

1950

2008

Garbage along the banks fo the East Don River near Lawerence Ave. May 4, 1950, Don River Photo Album, Conservation Authorities Branch.

1947

Dumping Waste snow in the Don Valley near Bloor St. Viaduct, March 8, 2008. Photo: Borris Spremo.

1969 Pollution Probe “Funeral for the Don River.” November 17, 1969. Courtesy of Tom Davey.

“Stop: Don’t Cut Trees,” Don Valley Conservation Association, 1947, Photograph of the Sauriol Cottage, Charles Sauriol Fonds

2013 “Paddle the Don” Annual fundraiser to raise awareness of the don river restoration.

Beyond Forty Steps _most recent comprehensive report on the health of the watershed and plots a clear path for future action.

LOWER DONLANDS REDEVELOPMENT - MVVA

Corktown Commons

Keating Channel Precinct

FLoodplane Protection Landform

Tommy Thompson Park

THE DON RIVER

ECOLOGICAL SYNOPSIS

THE RIVER IN RELATION TO THE CITY EARLY SETTLEMENT

FLOODING

INDUSTRY

HABITAT AND WILDLIFE

CHANNELIZATION AND CITY PLANNING

LACK OF CONNECTION W/ WATERWAYS

EARLY SETTLEMENT

Deatail from J.G. Chewett, City of Toronot and LIberties, 1834, Toronto Public Library. Courtesy of Derek Hayes

Don Valley Brick Works, 1920. Courtesy of the East York Foundation Collection, Todmorden Mills Museum, City of Toronto.

INDUSTRY

Gooderham and Worts Distillery, 1858

Lamb’s Glue and Stove Blackening

1882 Don River prior to straightening, 1882. Shoreline digitalized from National Map Collection, University of Toronto Map and Data Library.

CHANNELIZATION AND CITY PLANNING

1894 Don River after straightening, 1894. Shoreline digitalized from National Map Collection, University of Toronto Map and Data Library.

1918 Don River after constrction of Keating Channel, Ship Channel, and Port Industrial District in Ashbridge’s Bay,1918. Shoreline digitalized from National Map COllection, University of Toronto Map and Data Library.

1907 Don River Flood 1907, William James Family Fonds.

1920 Flood South of Wilton Ave, March 1920, James Salmon Collection

2013 Flooding May 2013. Photo by xdeguzmanhd

FLOODING

HABITAT AND WILDLIFE

LACK OF CONNECTION W/ WATERWAYS

FUTURE VISION CULTURALLY DIVERSE, ECOLOGICALLY DIVERSE RECONNECT TORONTO WITH ITS HISTORIC WATERWAYS TO ENRICH CULTRAL SPACES AND NATURAL ECOLOGY

refrenreces Landers, Jay. "Redeveloped Toronto Waterfront To Feature New River Channel." Civil Engineering (08857024) 77.8 (2007): 23-25. Military & Government Collection. Web. 18 Apr. 2014 Sauriol, Charles, and Vivian Webb. Tales Of The Don. Toronto, Ont: Natural Heritage/Natural History, 1984. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 18 Apr. 2014.

Toronto Waterfront Aquatic Habitat Restoration Strategy. Aquatic Habitat Toronto. Toronto and Region conservation. 2013. <http://www.aquatichabitat.ca/pdf/TWAHRS_STRATEGY.pdf> “Watersheds.” Death and rebirth on the Don River. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www. canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/jun11/don_river_watershed.asp> Whillans, T. Waterfront Ecosystems: Restoring is Remembering. In Roots, B.I, Chant, D.A. and Heidenreich, C.E. 1999. Special Places: The changing ecosystems of the Toronto Region. Royal Canadian Institute. (watershed map) Co-Modification, Joseph Kubik, Student ASLA, Graduate, University of Pennsylvania Faculty Advisor: Mark Thomann • http://www.forestry.utoronto.ca/Settledlandscapes/PreSettlement/files/Pre_Settl_Veg_ Mapping_FAQ.pdf • http://www.forestry.utoronto.ca/Settledlandscapes/PreSettlement/files/Final_Report.pdf Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Southern Science and Information Section. Pre-settlement Vegetation Mapping for the Greater Toronto Area, including the Regions of Hamilton, Halton, Peel and York and the Credit Valley Watershed. Puric-Mladenovic, D., Buck, J. and MacIntosh, A. Peterborough Ontario. January 2011.

• http://books.google.com/books?id=4zkBAAAAQAAJ&pg=PP5&lpg=PP5&dq=Strickland, +S.+1853.+Twenty-seven+years+in+Canada+West;+or+the+experience+of+an+early+settler.+ Richard+Bentley,+London.&source=bl&ots=oiJ5SSZojo&sig=QFmlVMQ-xaWLtUCWvEwByL5CDg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=loQ7U76-Jq2msASxnYH4Bw&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Str ickland%2C%20S.%201853.%20Twenty-seven%20years%20in%20Canada%20West%3B%20or%20 the%20experience%20of%20an%20early%20settler.%20Richard%20Bentley%2C%20London.&f=false Strickland, S. 1853. Twenty-seven years in Canada West; or the experience of an early settler. Richard Bentley, London.

• http://cityecology.net/events/planning-and-unplanning-for-the-future-of-toronto/ Jon van Nostrand “Planning and Unplanning for the Future of Toronto” • Toronto Harbour Maps: http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/dbdocs/4521dea9d8cb3.pdf