Heritage Toronto unveils new plaques at Don River

Heritage Toronto recently unveiled two new historic plaques at the south end of the Don River, one commemorating the Grand Trunk railway bridge and the other the straightening of the Don River in the 1880s-90s. The latter was done mostly at the behest of the railways, particularly the Canadian Pacific, which wanted an eastern entrance into downtown Toronto.

These plaques were a long time effort that began when I was still a Heritage Toronto board member and I was involved in the selection of images as well as the writing of the plaque. The plaques are dated 2010 but the West Donlands area where they were to be installed was closed off to the public for
redevelopment until very recently.

The dedication ceremony was held on June 25th, 2014.

Click here and here to read two reports on the dedication event, the plaques and the story.

Click on each image below for a closer look at the plaques!

Posting by Derek Boles, TRHA Historian; Images courtesy of Heritage Toronto