Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

[Anna]

I thought someone else might notice the bread wagon. Those were just on the out in 1948, especially downtown.

Well, I did - Cakes & Rolls - and the Weston's Chocolate Denver Sandwich on the billboard also looks tasty.

 

[Earlscourt_Lad]

I thought someone else might notice the bread wagon. Those were just on the out in 1948, especially downtown.

Much like ice deliverymen and home coal delivery.

 

[adma]

And when did Eatons/Simpsons phase out horses? (Though milkmen seem to have lingered until the 1960s, when the impact of Beckers et al became too much to bear--but you can see their twilight legacy in many a postwar-bungalow "milk door")

 

[Mustapha]

June 30 addition. I am going to reuse Anna's 1890 Goads map of a couple days ago - the one showing the Church of the Holy Trinity area. We can have parallel conversations, right? I want to go back to the pre-Eaton Centre locality for a few picture posts over the next couple days. So here we go :

June 27 2010. Looking N from "Albert Way" from within the Eaton Centre.

 

[NomoreaTorontonian]

Adma
Eaton's and Simpson's horse drawn vans disappeared pretty soon after WW2. They would have had to use motorized vans for larger items and as motor vehicles became more plentiful, more sizes of items could be grouped together. The need for the smaller horse vans receeded.

Earlscourt Lad
Ice and home coal were always delivered by trucks. Ice "stores" or warehouses were further away. As kids on a hot summer day we would grab pieces of ice off the back of a truck while the delivery man was taking ice into a house. Coal deliveries disappeared as everyone converted their furnaces to oil.

There was a milkman who lived on our street and left his horses on the road with nosebags on them while he came home to eat his lunch. They probably all retired together about 1955.

 

[Earlscourt_Lad]

Nomore:

Thanks for the info.

On a related note, in our neighbourhood, we still have a grinder that comes around to sharpen knives. He walks the streets ringing a handbell and has a portable, pedal-powered, whetstone which he uses to sharpen knives. When you hear the bell, you gather up the knives, go outside, and he sharpens them for you right there on the sidewalk. He doesn't do the best job, but I pay to support what I consider to be a bit of living history.

 

[thecharioteer]

A mainstay in Cedarvale when I was growing up was the "Selzer Man", who delivered cases of glass selzer bottles in wooden cases. Now only dimly remembered from burlesque sketches, the ubiquitous selzer bottle has now, alas, been replaced by Perrier and San Pelligrino.

 

[reetdoontoon]

the chicken man used to still use a horse drawn cart on our street [major st.] in the early sixties.
door to door service.
we kids would gather round to watch him dispatch chickens with his right thumbnail.
that was the last of the horse drawn carts i remember in toronto.

 

[spider]

Here in the 'burbs the home delivery of milk and bread were a service provided by all the major suppliers that started to disappear in the mid 60's, Our breadman (as he was referred to) was given the choice of retiring or carrying on the route as an entrepreneur, he chose the latter, lettering his truck "Bill the Breadman" and contiued selling the same products and even sponsoring a team in the local ball league. I can't remember how long this transitional phase lasted but don't think it was very long.

 

[Anna]

(Though milkmen seem to have lingered until the 1960s, when the impact of Beckers et al became too much to bear--but you can see their twilight legacy in many a postwar-bungalow "milk door")

Every house I’ve lived in has had one – although we always call it a milk box.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davetill/352323101/in/pool-milkdoors

We had a milk man, and a bread man, but the best was the popcorn man.

Eaton's and Simpson's horse drawn vans disappeared pretty soon after WW2. They would have had to use motorized vans for larger items and as motor vehicles became more plentiful, more sizes of items could be grouped together. The need for the smaller horse vans receeded.

 

[thecharioteer]

Great pictures, Anna. Not to (so to speak) beat this horse.......a few more bread-wagons:

Earlscourt 1908:

Woodbine 1921:

Avenue Road and Bloor 1934:

 

[Goldie]

Every house I?ve lived in has had one ? although we always call it a milk box.

Here's my "milk box" (house built in 1958), although it's been used as a "junk box" for about 50 years!
Also a "NOW" view of Albert St.

 

[adma]

A mainstay in Cedarvale when I was growing up was the "Selzer Man", who delivered cases of glass selzer bottles in wooden cases. Now only dimly remembered from burlesque sketches, the ubiquitous selzer bottle has now, alas, been replaced by Perrier and San Pelligrino.

Absolutely worth reading

 

[coco]

This topic is wonderful, I love seeing photos from the past.

 

[Mustapha]

Here's my "milk box" (house built in 1958), although it's been used as a "junk box" for about 50 years!
Also a "NOW" view of Albert St.

Here is something I found in my sealed up milkbox during a kitchen renovation in 2002. The milkbox opening outside was caulked and screwed down; the inside was covered over by drywall and tile. When we removed the drywall this came to light.