Unlike the desert plains U2 sings about in “Where the Streets Have No Names,” Toronto’s streets are built on the names of bakers, beer brewers, amusement managers, chocolatiers; who were also politicians and philanthropists.
For anyone on Facebook, it’s pretty simple to put a face to a name. Unfortunately, this is not the case for anyone born pre-1900s. So next time you’re stuck in traffic on Bloor St. instead of cursing that blue street name – put a face to the name!
Let’s take a little trip down memory lane:
1. Bloor St.
Allow me to introduce Joseph Bloore. He moved to Canada from England in 1819, bright eyed and thirsty, to open up his own brewery close to where Sherbourne station is today.
Not only a brewmaster, Bloore was also an innkeeper and the owner of large pieces of land. His land was the area that started the “village” but Torontonians know it better as Yorkville.
So why did we shave the ‘e’ off the end of Bloor? Some think it was a typo because the Joseph signed his last name without the ‘e’.
2. Christie St.
There really was a man named Mr. Christie and he actually made good cookies. He made such good cookie that Toronto named a street after him. William Christie moved to Canada in 1853 and was the co-owner of Toronto’s first bakery. The bakery sold over 4,300 boxes of cookie each year. After a few years of success and many returning customers a company slogan was made, “Mr. Christie, you make good cookies.”
After Christie’s death in 1900, the family sold the company to American National Biscuit Co. which is now owned by Kraft. But don’t you forget that the original Christie pirate cookies were born and bred right here in Toronto. So next you pass Christie St. yell out “Mr. Christie, you make good cookies!”
3. O’Connor Drive
Are you a lover of chocolate? If so you’re going to like Frank Patrick O’Connor. He is the founder of Laura Secord Chocolates and opened the first shop on Yonge St. in 1913. As a well-known businessman and philanthropist, by 1935 O’Connor was appointed to the Senate of Canada where he represented the senatorial division of Scarborough Junction, Ontario until he died.
And more than just a road was named after Frank. Senator O’Connor College School, a Toronto Catholic high school was also named in his honour.
4. Dufferin St.
Do you know the name of the third Governor General of Canada? Here’s a clue: the man has the longest name ever. Did you guess, Lord Spencer Frederick Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava?
Lord Frederick was a British public servant and a key member of the Victorian society. It is arguably he was one of the first travel “bloggers” ever!? As Frederick’s early 20th-century travelogue was later published as The Days Before Yesterday and became a best-selling book.
Rumour has is Lord Frederick also enjoyed telling scary stories over a glass of brandy.
5. Hubbard St.
Way before the CNE or Ontario Place, the East end of Toronto had the Scarboro Beach Amusement Park, which was managed by Frederick Hubbard. The park was around for almost 20 years before the Toronto Railway Company purchased for a big transit project that never happened.
Today, the old amusement park is buried under subdivisions but once was the prime location to catch live music, daredevil acts, freak shows, circus events, rollercoaster rides or just hanging out in the park. Basically a Trinty Bellwoods with a rollercoaster.
Are you still reading this? You little history nerd! Since you seem interested you might want to check out this articles profiling Toronto’s historical street names as well:
