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Evocative Images of Lost Toronto

Such research!
Thanks, it's more like an obsession. I'm extremely frustrated at myself for not having success with the Archive access on-line. I'm resolved to find a librarian or archivist to help, might even visit the actual archives at City Hall, but just like the Reference Library, I get overwhelmed with the frustration of knowing there's lodes of material that would delight me, but being unable to find it.

I've entered the indexed numbers on those pics to try and get a hit with the online portal. Can't even get close. Once I hit a general list, but can't even get that now.
Today the moniker is 'bombproof' and they are a joy to deal with. I have a very vague recollection of horse-drawn milk delivery when we lived downtown and they would pretty much start and stop on their own since they knew the route.
There was the remnants of a dairy downtown somewhere, I can't recollect right now, it was in the rear of buildings in the western core, a concrete block building where the horses were stalled.

Anyone?
 
[QUOTE
There was the remnants of a dairy downtown somewhere, I can't recollect right now, it was in the rear of buildings in the western core, a concrete block building where the horses were stalled.

Anyone?[/QUOTE]

This was once the City Dairy [Bordens Dairy] ......on the east side of Spadina Crescent.
I believe it's now part of U of T .
City:Bordens dairy.jpg
 

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"There was the remnants of a dairy downtown somewhere, I can't recollect right now, it was in the rear of buildings in the western core,
a concrete block building where the horses were stalled."
steveintoronto.

MIGHT'S TORONTO CITY DIRECTORY 1950:

281A College Street. (rear)
City Dairy Stables.
(Lane behind 450 Spadina -Alhambra Hall, aka El Mocambo.)


Regards,
J T

 
This was once the City Dairy [Bordens Dairy] ......on the east side of Spadina Crescent.
I believe it's now part of U of T .
That and a couple more showed with a Google search, but:

281A College Street. (rear)
City Dairy Stables.
(Lane behind 450 Spadina -Alhambra Hall, aka El Mocambo.)
This might be the one! I used to pass it often, and used to live close to there twice, it might be the one. I remember glancing down a laneway, and the corner of it showed, with perhaps some glass-block structure in the concrete blocks, and one day I had to get closer to see what it was, astounded that it was an old dairy.

I haven't seen it for...gosh...a decade, and now you've got me intrigued! I'm going to check that out in the next hour or so. "City Dairy" rings a bell.

Just did a quick background check:
https://torontoist.com/2013/11/historicist-if-its-city-dairy-its-clean-and-pure-thats-sure/
 
I love the clothes in which they biked. Men in suits and ties, the women in full length skirts and dresses, blouses with puffed sleeves, and high collars. Almost everyone wearing a hat.

Hard to imagine.

They would have fainted had they seen a cyclist today in lycra bike shorts and top.
 
"There was the remnants of a dairy downtown somewhere, I can't recollect right now, it was in the rear of buildings in the western core,
a concrete block building where the horses were stalled."
steveintoronto.

MIGHT'S TORONTO CITY DIRECTORY 1950:

281A College Street. (rear)
City Dairy Stables.
(Lane behind 450 Spadina -Alhambra Hall, aka El Mocambo.)


Regards,
J T
Checked yesterday there, nothing. It may have been razed if that is the locale I'm remembering. "City Dairy" it was. I have a distinct memory of it, the location is the question. I see from digging that there's a book on City Dairy, and TPL have a copy(ies). I'm still searching on this, and will continue to do so. It may have been a service depot being in a back alley, and perhaps a stable before that, albeit concrete block construction has a limited history to it.
 
Horsepower on Toronto Harbour c.1845
"The Second Horse Boat" - TPL
The Second Horse Boat - Toronto c.1845 TPL.jpg
 

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Thanks, it's more like an obsession. I'm extremely frustrated at myself for not having success with the Archive access on-line. I'm resolved to find a librarian or archivist to help, might even visit the actual archives at City Hall, but just like the Reference Library, I get overwhelmed with the frustration of knowing there's lodes of material that would delight me, but being unable to find it.

I've entered the indexed numbers on those pics to try and get a hit with the online portal. Can't even get close. Once I hit a general list, but can't even get that now.

Don't go to City Hall -the Archives are on Spadina Road just south of Davenport.

To find a photo by the indexed numbers on the pics - use Advanced Search:
If searching by Fonds - don't check 'scanned photographs only'
This photo is part of the James Salmon fonds, so there are a lot of them.

So search by Item and check 'scanned photographs only'. I added 'forms part of' 1231 to just get item 1870 in the James Salmon collection.
Capture.JPG


https://gencat4.eloquent-systems.com/webcat/systems/toronto.arch/resource/fo1231/f1231_it1870.jpg
 

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I love the clothes in which they biked. Men in suits and ties, the women in full length skirts and dresses, blouses with puffed sleeves, and high collars. Almost everyone wearing a hat.

Hard to imagine.

They would have fainted had they seen a cyclist today in lycra bike shorts and top.
The Naked Bike Ride might also have caused some consternation and need for smelling salts!
 
Archives are on Spadina Road just south of Davenport.
I had no idea! I must have passed that a thousand times.

Many thanks for the rest of the post. You obviously realize the value of learning to do this. I will in fact do both, try again on-line, *and* visit the archives, the latter of which I should have a list prepared of the many other things I'd like to see again, even if captured as an image.

I can clearly see the building I'm looking for in my memory framed in the laneways leading to it (it was at the corner of a number of them), but the location is the big question. I'm now thinking south of Queen, north of Front, west of University. (Edit: I'm grasping, it could have been as far north as Dundas or even Harbord/Welleseley)

Another area that some might have comment on is where the Humane Society used to have their building before the big move to River and Queen. Was it Wellesley? There were a number of interesting buildings (IIRC) where that was, probably all long gone now.

Of course, the HS were contracted by the City to be Animal Control 'back in those days'....lol...this was about forty years back, and I had to bail out my dog busted for running at large. Oddly, he was only medium sized, not that big. Back then, it was not uncommon, even in the busy city, for dogs to wander free.

Anyone remember the Bull Terrier that used to do a circuit every day around Rosedale? He was fed, so lore goes, by about ten to twelve regulars. Every day...maybe life was better back then...lol.

Again, many thanks for that Anna. I'll get back to you with the response. I keep thinking of new tags to search for the City Dairy building, obviously someone somewhere took pics of it, the name was still up above the double doors: "City Dairy". I'm sure pics still exist.

Addendum: Indeed, Humane Soc was on Wellesley:
[...]
February 19, 1887, marked the launch of the humane and children's aid movement in Ontario. In his speech, Kelso pointed out there was no society of the kind in Toronto and proposed the establishment of a general humane association with the following objectives:
• Stop cruelty to children
• Rescue children from vicious influences and remedy their conditions
• Put humane literature into schools and homes
• Induce children to be humane
• Encourage everybody to practice and teach kindness to animals and others
• Stop the beating of animals
• Stop overloading street cars and wagons (which were then pulled by horses)
• Stop the working of old horses
• Stop driving galled and disabled animals
• Introduce drinking fountains for horses
• Prevent the clipping of horses, docking of tails
• Prevent the use of check rein/burr bit
• Prevent the exposure of uncovered horses in cold weather
• Prevent the under-feeding and over-driving of horses and cattle
• Provide better laws
The inaugural meeting was held on February 24, 1887. In his book, Early History of the Humane and Children's Aid Movement in Ontario, published in 1911, John Kelso related that the meeting was “quite successful” and the name “Humane Society” was chosen “because its mission was to be broadly educational – better laws, better methods and development of the humane spirit in all affairs of life.” The following week, an organizational meeting was held and Kelso was elected secretary.

“At that time” he recalled, “there were only six public drinking fountains for horses in Toronto, and three of them were owned and controlled by saloon keepers.” Securing hundreds of drinking fountains for the thousands of working horses in the city was one of the Society's first priorities.
From its beginnings on Bay Street to Wellesley Street (formerly St. Albans St.) and now River Street, the Society has had a 118-year journey and continues to demonstrate its commitment to the humane treatment of animals, with an adoption centre on Victoria Park near Vanhorn.
Now it is even more important to support ‘The society’ as it rebounds from scandals and a tainted public image, although there are questions we must remember there are those forgotten animals that need our help and the help of a new society dedicated to the dream of one man Mr. John J Kelso ,now in 2010 Ms Sheila David is hosting Cuban Dance Party - A Fundraiser for the Toronto Humane Society
Monday, September 13, 2010 from 7:00 PM - 11:55 PM (ET)
Toronto, Ontario | The Boulevard Club
www.torontohumanesociety.com/adopt.htm
 
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[QUOTE
There was the remnants of a dairy downtown somewhere, I can't recollect right now, it was in the rear of buildings in the western core, a concrete block building where the horses were stalled.

Anyone?

This was once the City Dairy [Bordens Dairy] ......on the east side of Spadina Crescent.
I believe it's now part of U of T .
View attachment 141825[/QUOTE]

s0958_fl0026.jpg
 
"There was the remnants of a dairy downtown somewhere, I can't recollect right now, it was in the rear of buildings in the western core,
a concrete block building where the horses were stalled."
steveintoronto.

MIGHT'S TORONTO CITY DIRECTORY 1950:

281A College Street. (rear)
City Dairy Stables.
(Lane behind 450 Spadina -Alhambra Hall, aka El Mocambo.)


Regards,
J T

Here's where you can find various Toronto City Directories online
https://wherethestorytakesme.ca/toronto-city-directories/
 

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