A small bay on the prehistoric shores of Lake Iroquois is the distant ancestor of today’s Vale of Avoca ravine. For thousands of years, this area was part of the traditional lands of indigenous people, situated close to the ancient walking route connecting the Don and Humber river valleys, on a path that now runs across mid-town Toronto.
As the City of Toronto became established, the Vale of Avoca has been an important recreational resource for Toronto, in continuous public use since the mid-nineteenth century. Early on, it was a Victorian-era destination park, at the end of the horse-drawn streetcar from downtown Toronto on Yonge Street. There was also a neighbouring amusement park in Summerhill on what was then a large estate, linked to the park in the ravine. Two bridges capable of one-way horse-cart traffic spanned the stream, one connecting Rosehill Avenue to Inglewood and the other connecting the east-side and west-side Summerhill Avenues before the construction of the CP railway interrupted the connection.
Stone walls were constructed in the late 1800s to channel the stream, a channelization that was adequate to handle then-current stormwater flows. Back then, the land to the north of St Clair was largely rain-absorbing farmland and global warming was not even imagined.
Preserving and recognizing as much as possible of the ravine’s history and making it known through plaques and displays is one of the aims of our Vision. This ravine will also provide valuable opportunities to recognize Toronto’s indigenous heritage, given the area’s proximity to the Lower Don Wonscotonach Lands and other local historical reference points.