Lost Road

[Vito81]

Hey hows it going everyone? Been big into old roads, abandoned rai lines, industrial buildings, blah blah for many years, have an extensive collection of pics and info. Anyways I was wondering if anyone had anymore info on this road,


http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=e...-79.20067&spn=0.001684,0.003648&t=h&z=18&om=1


It is right behind morningview and starts south of old finch ave, have driven by it for many years, you can see utility polls as well. I checked in one of my old MapArt map books circa 1985 and it does indeed show the road although it is unamed, it also has a few pink dots symbolizing residential homes that were once there.

 

[junctionist]

That's definitely out there. Look, not even the subdivisions have invaded that, and this is supposedly still Toronto. A forum member named Lone Primate always had a lot of this kind of info, and yet I haven't seen him around in awhile. He also has a flickr account under the same name.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

Subdivisions haven't invaded it because it's in Rouge Park. If memory serves me correctly, though, it was once a potential corridor for a 401-407 connector highway.

 

[ShonTron]

Sewells Road is still a paved, public road. Not at all abandoned.

It probably continued south of Old Finch - it would have lined up with Conlins. Since it hits the Rouge Valley, it's likely it was never a through route between Finch and Sheppard.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

I think vito is referring specifically to the shadow of a road between the subdivision east of Morningside and the Zoo, south of Finch.

 

[Vito81]

Yeah thats right, I just fixed up the link since it wasn't working for me. Yeah just to the right of the subdivisions which were finished up in the late 80's/early 90's. I'll have to make a trip down to the archives but most likely they were gone in order to put up the subdivions, haven't gone to the yard in a few months but if I remember it was fenced up just behind the back yards of the subdivision homes. But yeah would be cool to get some info on it.

 

[Jarrek]

Hmm, very interesting. I'll have a look at my old maps to see if this one had a name.

 

[smuncky]

there's also this one that's just south of the location vito is talking about.

http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=e....810085,-79.198213&spn=0.002737,0.004989&z=18

what road was that before?

 

[CDL.TO]

there's also this one that's just south of the location vito is talking about.

http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=e....810085,-79.198213&spn=0.002737,0.004989&z=18

what road was that before?

That's a former railway line.

 

[Jarrek]

Just south of that road, look how nicely spaced out the trees are.

Someone must of done a pretty good job planting those things!

 

[Vito81]

That's a former railway line.

Yeah thats right, that is the one that joined up at the Finch line, You can also follow where the line used to run along side the second bridge crossing sewells road, one is still in use, the other one just before that, the 'haunted' one without the bed or tracks runs quite far if you look closely at the map.



But yeah the oldest map I have that shows the road but no name is that MapArt, I have an old Esso map from '71 but doesn't cover the city in great detail. I think the Zoo owns that land now just behind the houses.

 

[interchange42]

Well, the precisely planted trees are what's left of an orchard.

There is a right of way that extends north of the end of Conlins at Sheppard, but the right of way ends to the east of approximately where the southern tip of the subdivision is. In other words, there is no right-of-way that would have connected Conlins to Sewells. Neither is there a right of way for the road that is being discussed here, which is west of the Sewells-Conlins alignment. I think it is likely just a long paved driveway for the farm.

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[adma]

Though it could still be a road *allowance*--which in lieu of an actual road, was often an excuse for driveways, property lines, power line ROWs etc...

 

[scarberiankhatru]

I think the Zoo owns that land now just behind the houses.

The Zoo doesn't own it...the 'orchard' land with the ghost road is a non-Zoo part of Rouge Park.

 

[interchange42]

Though it could still be a road *allowance*--which in lieu of an actual road, was often an excuse for driveways, property lines, power line ROWs etc...

Adma, I'm not sure if what you are calling a road *allowance* is any different from a Right Of Way. I have access to property maps for the area, and can assure you that this road, with power line poles and all, runs through the middle of a single property, with no hint of an allowance or right of way at any time. I think the poles were merely there to bring power from Finch down to a now vanished farmhouse and barn, and the road was the driveway.

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