adma
Superstar
Yup, obviously. And as you can tell from the map, there was once a jog there...
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Lost Neighbourhood: Blondin Avenue
- Thread starter Lone Primate
- Start date
Lone Primate
Active Member
The line of trees suggests to me that the farmhouse once had its driveway connecting to that abandoned stretch, too.
Anna
Active Member
For those of you interested in lost roads/old roads, the UofT Libraries have several topographic maps of Toronto & Markham online (as well as a bunch of others you might find interesting). They also used to have an aerial photo of Metro Toronto circa 1965, but I don't think it is available to the public any more.
http://prod.library.utoronto.ca:8090/maplib/digital/
The topographic maps include parts of York & Scarborough townships in the 1909-1963 timeframe, so you can see lost villages, lost rivers, the old alignments of Don Mills/Leslie/John, Bayview/Lawrence, & Passmore.
Warning - the files are huge. The jp2 files are the best, but you will need the plug-in.
For even older maps, there is the McGill Canada County Digital Atlas Project. http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/countyatlas/
http://prod.library.utoronto.ca:8090/maplib/digital/
The topographic maps include parts of York & Scarborough townships in the 1909-1963 timeframe, so you can see lost villages, lost rivers, the old alignments of Don Mills/Leslie/John, Bayview/Lawrence, & Passmore.
Warning - the files are huge. The jp2 files are the best, but you will need the plug-in.
For even older maps, there is the McGill Canada County Digital Atlas Project. http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/countyatlas/
oldpackard
New Member
lost neighbourhood; Blondin Ave.
loved seeing these photos, brought back alot of memories... My late father owned a B/A gas station at the intersection of Walsh and Wilson Ave. It's now a used car lot. He first open his service station in the mid 50's and worked it till his death in 1964. As a kid he would let me stock shelves and clean windows of customers cars when they came in for gas. Thanks for showing these pic's!
loved seeing these photos, brought back alot of memories... My late father owned a B/A gas station at the intersection of Walsh and Wilson Ave. It's now a used car lot. He first open his service station in the mid 50's and worked it till his death in 1964. As a kid he would let me stock shelves and clean windows of customers cars when they came in for gas. Thanks for showing these pic's!
dbailey62
Active Member
Old Cummer
Back in the 70's, a series of YMCA day camps were conducted in the Don valleys.
I spent a week in that ravine way back when. The school bus that would deliver us to the site would drive down into the valley from the east via Old Cummer and we'd hang a left southwards down a dirt path where we'd be let off. Camp Don-Va-Ca was its name IIRC.
At that time (I'm thinking 1973 or 74 I'm guessing) the bridge was a wreck. Huge holes. Concrete crumbling. Certainly not driveable.
I've often thought about heading back up there as I still live close by.
It's great to see that the bridge was rehabilitated!
db
Back in the 70's, a series of YMCA day camps were conducted in the Don valleys.
I spent a week in that ravine way back when. The school bus that would deliver us to the site would drive down into the valley from the east via Old Cummer and we'd hang a left southwards down a dirt path where we'd be let off. Camp Don-Va-Ca was its name IIRC.
At that time (I'm thinking 1973 or 74 I'm guessing) the bridge was a wreck. Huge holes. Concrete crumbling. Certainly not driveable.
I've often thought about heading back up there as I still live close by.
It's great to see that the bridge was rehabilitated!
db
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I went to that camp back in the 70's as well.
dbailey62
Active Member
GenerationW
Senior Member
If we're thinking of the same bridge (and if memory serves), it became off limits to traffic when a car went over the side of that bridge in '71, give or take a year.
dbailey62
Active Member
That could very well be it. I can't think of another bridge in that area. It sure was a wreck.
In a way, the restored bridge is much less picturesque.
oldpackard
New Member
Kipling & Steeles
the east/west roadway use to be steeles ave. Going north on Kipling ave just north of steeles ave, on the right side of the street use to be one of Torontos city garbage dumps. (late 50's to early 60's) The city left this piece of old steeles ave there because in the field north of this section is where they dump tree clippings, rotted trees, etc. The winding road continuing north of where Kipling ends, leads into a park area used by hobbists with their model air planes
the east/west roadway use to be steeles ave. Going north on Kipling ave just north of steeles ave, on the right side of the street use to be one of Torontos city garbage dumps. (late 50's to early 60's) The city left this piece of old steeles ave there because in the field north of this section is where they dump tree clippings, rotted trees, etc. The winding road continuing north of where Kipling ends, leads into a park area used by hobbists with their model air planes
oldpackard
New Member
newly constructed highway 401 at weston rd.
excellent shot, at the intersection of Walsh and Wilson you can see the newly constructed service station. This was my fathers B/A gas and service station. Have printed off all these photos showing this area, brings back alot of memories! thank-you...
Also the large factories on the south side of the newly constructed highway, were for military use, plane construction, I remember my dad telling me about them, they were built there then transported to the Canadian Forces Base in Downsview for testing prior to being crated up and shipped overseas during the war.
1953
excellent shot, at the intersection of Walsh and Wilson you can see the newly constructed service station. This was my fathers B/A gas and service station. Have printed off all these photos showing this area, brings back alot of memories! thank-you...
Also the large factories on the south side of the newly constructed highway, were for military use, plane construction, I remember my dad telling me about them, they were built there then transported to the Canadian Forces Base in Downsview for testing prior to being crated up and shipped overseas during the war.
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Strange Advance
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I find these abandoned roads profoundly haunting. Once places where people lived and played, now derelict, off-limits wastelands choked with weeds, trash, and relics of the past. Fascinating but eerie.
In a not-too-dissimilar vein, there's the crash site of Air Canada Flight 621, a DC-8 that went down on July 5th, 1970 about 8 km north of the airport, killing all 109 aboard. It crashed just metres from the farmhouse of the Burgsma family.
On the map, the house, now gone, would have been in the centre of the image, just south of the tree. The plane's wreckage was scattered just to its west, roughly where the dark stain is just south of the green field.
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=43.779485,-79.690609&spn=0.002071,0.004334&t=k&z=18&om=1
Here's a website dedicated to the crash, which laments that fragments of the crash and people aboard are still being found at the scene some 40 years later: http://homepage.mac.com/friendsofflight621/Menu2.html
In a not-too-dissimilar vein, there's the crash site of Air Canada Flight 621, a DC-8 that went down on July 5th, 1970 about 8 km north of the airport, killing all 109 aboard. It crashed just metres from the farmhouse of the Burgsma family.
On the map, the house, now gone, would have been in the centre of the image, just south of the tree. The plane's wreckage was scattered just to its west, roughly where the dark stain is just south of the green field.
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=43.779485,-79.690609&spn=0.002071,0.004334&t=k&z=18&om=1
Here's a website dedicated to the crash, which laments that fragments of the crash and people aboard are still being found at the scene some 40 years later: http://homepage.mac.com/friendsofflight621/Menu2.html
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Woodbridge_Heights
Senior Member
I believe that this is the crash that bodies were taken to the woodbridge memorial arena.
Not sure what the webmaster is trying to accomplish... A memorial plaque would be nice.
Strange Advance
Active Member
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There is a memorial at Mt. Pleasant, but the webmaster and others are incensed that the crash site was not properly cleared, if for no other reason than the dignity of the victims. Bones, debris, and items from the plane are still being recovered 40 years later.
dbailey62
Active Member
It sure is. I first read about the crash site issue a few years ago and was absolutely horrified.
This area should be gone over with a fine tooth comb in an attempt to gather all human remains at the site.
It's just not right that this is the case. This isn't a battlefield at Stalingrad, this is a plane crash site in southern Ontario.