Index
Acknowledgments
About the Editor
IN THE spring of 1997, I realized that there was a need for a book about our community “Leaside.” Being much aware of the amalgamation with Toronto looming later in the year, I was struck by the fact that Leaside had previously been amalgamated with the Borough of East York in 1967, and yet had managed to retain its unique character. I felt it was very important to provide a comprehensive account of the development of the town of Leaside so that its residents, especially those new to the area, could understand the fascinating chain of events that have taken place over the years.
Fortunately, there were some previously published materials to provide background material. John Scott wrote a book titled The Story of Leaside for the Leaside Council in 1931. Charles Clay wrote The Leaside Story in 1958 on the occasion of the town’s 45th anniversary. In 1982, Jack Rempel’s book, The Town of Leaside: A Brief History, was published by the East York Historical Society. All of these publications are out-of-print and no longer readily available.
Many months after beginning to compile this book, I read J. I. Rempel’s last words from his publication: “…my only intention here was to show the contribution of the Lea family to the early development of this area. Someone else will have to amplify other aspects of municipal, industrial, religious or recreational developments.”
In the spring of 1997, I met with a small group of Leasiders who had expressed interest in being involved with this project. This book is the result of the contribution of many people, all of whom are acknowledged under our list of contributors. Their contributions have taken many forms, from being interviewed to researching and writing, and to the provision of photographs, maps and other memorabilia.
Ultimately, it was recognized that we needed a structure for our inclusive approach, a book that is largely historical, yet designed to recognize and celebrate the people, places and events that have combined to make Leaside unique. While the main focus is on the period from 1913 to 1967, emphasizing the years that Leaside existed as its own town, we chose to begin with pre-settlement times and the early geological formation, to set the stage for what ultimately became Leaside. As well, there is inclusion of some happenings beyond 1967. As a result of these decisions, the overall approach is largely thematic, within a general chronological framework.
It is our hope that all readers will not only enjoy Leaside but will develop an appreciation for the rich heritage of our community, and that a new sense of pride will result.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, we (the Editor and the Publisher) would gratefully receive any corrections which will be incorporated into future editions.
Jane Pitfield, Editor
1999
FROM PRE-SETTLEMENT TO SETTLEMENT
CERTAIN PHYSICAL and topographical characteristics of what became the Leaside area attracted Aboriginal peoples first and, eventually, in the early 19th century, European settlement. Once the primeval forest was cleared by the early pioneers, the quality of the soil enabled agriculture to flourish and give sustenance to the original settlers, and to the generations which followed.
Some 80 years later, in the late 19th century, the topography of the plateau overlooking the valley of the Don attracted the railway companies which eventually converted the rich agricultural lands into the urban centre called Leaside.
What were the forces in pre-history and pre-settlement times which formed the land?
Thousands of years ago, the Leaside area was affected by a series of ancient Ice Ages. The land, part of the Lake Ontario basin, was covered by a succession of glaciers and large lakes. At least two major glaciations moved across the area in the Pleistocene Epoch. Between the two advances of the glaciers, a period of temperate climate occured, somewhat warmer than today’s climate, as indicated by warm climate fossils from the old Don Valley Brick Works. Cold climate fossils found in the Scarborough Bluffs (deposits of Lake Coleman and Lake Scarborough) indicate the return of the glaciers which covered what today is Toronto.
Pollen grains from these deposits identify the flora which existed. During the period of Lake Coleman, deciduous trees, indicators of a warm period, included oak, elm, ironwood, maple, hickory, beech, basswood and sweet gum. Then, as the larger Lake Scarborough formed, pollen samples of conifers such as spruce, pine, balsam, hemlock, larch which grow in lower temperatures, increased, indicating a cooler climate. On top of these lake deposits were the glacial deposits from which the Leaside area was formed.
Some 48,000 years ago, as temperatures rose, the glaciers which covered most of Canada began to melt. They receded in this area to create Lake Ontario, a body of water much larger than the lake which we now know.
Once again, about 35,000 years ago, the glaciers began building, with glacial waters depositing river sand and mud into a lake, called Lake Thorncliffe by some. The glacier continued to grow until it covered all of what is now Ontario, as well as the northern United States, some 18,000 to 20,000 years ago.
Geologists tell us another warm period occurred about 13,500 years ago. This temperature increase caused the great body of frozen water to slowly melt back, allowing a land mass, part of what is today’s Ontario (an area defined by present day London, Guelph and Orangeville), to emerge from the ice.
A further 2,000 years passed before the glaciers receded from north of present day Toronto. The melting glaciers created a very large “Lake Ontario” called Lake Iroquois. The northern shore of Lake Iroquois ran along a line several hundred yards north of present day Eglinton Avenue. What is now the City of Toronto would have been under the water of this lake which was some 180 feet above the level of present day Lake Ontario.
Submerged for thousands of years (when not frozen solid) under a succession of lakes, the Leaside lands were shaped by erosion and sedimentary deposits. Silt, sand and boulders were washed into the expanded Lake Iroquois where wave action and gravity smoothed the edges of the lake bottom, ultimately creating a plateau. Leaside, Oakville, Burlington and Hamilton are all part of this so-called “Iroquois Plain.”
As temperatures rose, water levels gradually fell and Lake Iroquois, once dammed by ice at Cornwall, began to flow eastward and drain into the St. Lawrence basin. Gradually, the lake was reduced in size to that of present day Lake Ontario.
As the lake receded, the plateau-like Leaside lands emerged, high and dry. Centuries of spring run-offs carried by the branches of the Don carved the deep valleys which surround the relatively flat Leaside land on three sides.
The flora and fauna native to Leaside migrated to this area less than 11,000 years ago, however, fossils of the earlier temporary warm periods have been unearthed. As well, about 120,000 years ago this area was home to a variety of wildlife: the giant beaver and white tailed deer (fossils found in Don Valley Brick Yards); bison, bear, stag-moose, and mammoth or possibly mastodon (found near present day Shaw Street at Ossington Avenue); and Tundra musk-oxen (found by the Scarborough Bluffs). Fossils of species inhabiting the area since the last Ice Age include an 11,700 year old brown bear; and a 11,300 year old caribousized deer called Torontoceras (found
