Taddle Creek

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Taddle Creek
Taddle Creek - McCaul's Pond.jpg
Taddle Creek, dammed to create McCaul's Pond, on the University of Toronto campus in 1870
Location
Country Canada
State Ontario
City Toronto
Physical characteristics
Source 
  locationBathurst Street and St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Mouth  
  location
Lake Ontario, just east of Parliament Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Length6 km (3.7 mi)

Taddle Creek is a buried stream in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that flowed a southeasterly course about six kilometres long, from St. Clair Avenue west of Bathurst Street through the present site of Wychwood Park, through the University of Toronto, into the Toronto Harbour near the Distillery District. [1] During the 19th century, it was buried and converted into an underground sewer, but traces of the creek can still be found today. The scenic footpath known as Philosopher's Walk follows the ravine created by the creek from the Royal Ontario Museum to Trinity College. Taddle Creek is also the name of a Toronto literary magazine and of a local Montessori school. [2]

Contents

History

Watercolour painting of Taddle Creek in 1861. University College, Toronto is in the background. Taddle creek 1861 CBC.png
Watercolour painting of Taddle Creek in 1861. University College, Toronto is in the background.

In the 1790s, the original town site of the Town of York was established along its south bank. Its waters would be used by its first industries. The disappearance of the creek came in phases in the 19th century:

There is no exact origin for the creek's name but there are three possible theories: [3]

Taddle Creek had other names during the 19th Century:

See also

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McCaul's Pond was located at the site of Hart House, on the University of Toronto campus. It was created by damming Taddle Creek in the early 1860s. Increased settlement and economic activity had already begun changing the creek from being the clear, free running watercourse that the early settlers had found. It had been so clean that it was a breeding ground for salmon, but over time had become a polluted watercourse. Damming the creek accelerated the dangers and the pond was drained prior to burying the University's portion of the creek in 1884.

References

  1. Wayne Reeves; Christina Palassio (2008-10-01). HTO: Toronto's water from Lake Iroquois to lost rivers to low-flow toilets. Coach House Press. ISBN   978-1-55245-208-0 . Retrieved 2011-12-29.
  2. "In the Community: Taddle Creek Montessori is Standing Up for Kids – The Buzz". www.cafdn.org. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  3. "Legend 52. Taddle Creek". Town of York Historical Society. Archived from the original on December 30, 2014.