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Excavators uncover Queen's Wharf in Toronto and O.S.& H.R. Railway Piers - Old Maps

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Forward Condo Excavator Finds Century Old Soda Bottles at Fort York Blvd and Queen's Wharf
The excavation site of the Forward and Newton condominiums, on the S.E. corner of Bathurst and Fort York Blvd. in downtown Toronto, has exposed the site of what was once the Through Freight & Passenger Depo of the O.S. & H.R. Railway (the Ontario Simcoe and Huron Railway circa 1870), and here, on the threshold of this hole in time, I encountered a professional excavator with small treasures that were made and sold over one hundred and thirty years ago.
OSHR%u00252Brailway.jpg


Here's an Alex Burns / Toronto aqua blob top soda.
CAjeBlIUkAAnuS9.jpg

It has a right facing beaver which you can barely see... The beaver was a hotly contested trademark.
ALEX BURNS / TORONTO
BELFAST GINGER ALE
A bottle of Belfast Ginger Ale probably sold for a penny or two on the steamship in the 1880s, In mint condition, this 130yr old Alex Burns Belfast Ginger ale bottle would sell for anywhere from $30 to $60 today.

Below is a map from the mid 1850s (?) and here you can see its just one pier to the right of the Queens Wharf. This belonged to the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway - In July 1849, the Toronto, Simcoe & Lake Huron Union Railroad was founded by Frederick Chase Capreol and Charles Albert Berczy. An act of Parliament, known as the Guarantee Act helped finance construction of the railway through the sale of bonds.
harbour-1870.jpg

The OS&HR Railway name was changed to Northern Railway of Canada on August 16, 1858 and it became part of the Northern and Northwestern Railway on June 6, 1879, (its now part of Canadian National Railway or CNR).
toronto-harbour1857.jpg

The Port of Toronto is the gateway to Ontario; fast forward twenty more years and we can see how the port and the railway grows as business and commerce expands on the Canadian frontier.
oldcity1.jpg

toronto-harbour-1884.jpg

In 1887, the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) gained a controlling interest, and the takeover was formalized in January 1888. Now there are four piers, each connected to a railway line.

The port before the first world war
steamships%u00252Bdocking.jpg

Here are steamers docking at the railway piers in 1914. Look at the smokestacks and industry in this photo and imagine all the garbage that went over the side of these boats ..:)

Fast forward one hundred years from this exact same spot, looking in the same direction...
digging-up-the-past1.jpg


Behold we see the wooden piers where the steamers docked to unload small wooden boxes filled with goods from other parts of the British Empire and America cities south of the Great Lakes. This lake bottom soil is rich with the relics of our ancestors; early Canadian glassware, medicines, sodas, beers, and sealer jars, whisky jugs, crocks, clay pipes, dental tooth powder jars, ceramic moustach grease containers -small items mixed in with their early industrial age garbage are among many Canadian antiques collectors most coveted treasures today.

Fast 'Forward' two more years,
forward-condo-bldg1.jpg

more old maps, pictures and info at Forward Condo Excavator Finds Century Old Soda Bottles at Fort York Blvd and Queen's Wharf
 

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Last edited:
It's a fascinating local history. This history should be reflected in the built form and public realm today--through murals, water features, landscaping and plaques for instance. It would give CityPlace more character.
 
Forward Condo Excavator Finds Century Old Soda Bottles at Fort York Blvd and Queen's Wharf
The excavation site of the Forward and Newton condominiums, on the S.E. corner of Bathurst and Fort York Blvd. in downtown Toronto, has exposed the site of what was once the Through Freight & Passenger Depo of the O.S. & H.R. Railway (the Ontario Simcoe and Huron Railway circa 1870), and here, on the threshold of this hole in time, I encountered a professional excavator with small treasures that were made and sold over one hundred and thirty years ago.
View attachment 43095

Here's an Alex Burns / Toronto aqua blob top soda.
View attachment 43096
It has a right facing beaver which you can barely see... The beaver was a hotly contested trademark.
ALEX BURNS / TORONTO
BELFAST GINGER ALE
A bottle of Belfast Ginger Ale probably sold for a penny or two on the steamship in the 1880s, In mint condition, this 130yr old Alex Burns Belfast Ginger ale bottle would sell for anywhere from $30 to $60 today.

Below is a map from the mid 1850s (?) and here you can see its just one pier to the right of the Queens Wharf. This belonged to the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway - In July 1849, the Toronto, Simcoe & Lake Huron Union Railroad was founded by Frederick Chase Capreol and Charles Albert Berczy. An act of Parliament, known as the Guarantee Act helped finance construction of the railway through the sale of bonds.
View attachment 43101
The OS&HR Railway name was changed to Northern Railway of Canada on August 16, 1858 and it became part of the Northern and Northwestern Railway on June 6, 1879, (its now part of Canadian National Railway or CNR).
View attachment 43102
The Port of Toronto is the gateway to Ontario; fast forward twenty more years and we can see how the port and the railway grows as business and commerce expands on the Canadian frontier.
View attachment 43100
View attachment 43103
In 1887, the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) gained a controlling interest, and the takeover was formalized in January 1888. Now there are four piers, each connected to a railway line.

The port before the first world war
View attachment 43104
Here are steamers docking at the railway piers in 1914. Look at the smokestacks and industry in this photo and imagine all the garbage that went over the side of these boats ..:)

Fast forward one hundred years from this exact same spot, looking in the same direction...
View attachment 43105

Behold we see the wooden piers where the steamers docked to unload small wooden boxes filled with goods from other parts of the British Empire and America cities south of the Great Lakes. This lake bottom soil is rich with the relics of our ancestors; early Canadian glassware, medicines, sodas, beers, and sealer jars, whisky jugs, crocks, clay pipes, dental tooth powder jars, ceramic moustach grease containers -small items mixed in with their early industrial age garbage are among many Canadian antiques collectors most coveted treasures today.

Fast 'Forward' two more years,
View attachment 43106
more old maps, pictures and info at Forward Condo Excavator Finds Century Old Soda Bottles at Fort York Blvd and Queen's Wharf

Awesome maps. Thanks for posting.

Mario
toronto wedding photographer
 

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