Baby Point

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted July, 2007

At the southwest corner of Baby Point Road and Baby Point Crescent, west of the western end of Annette Street, can be found a 1949 plaque erected jointly by the York Pioneer and Historical Society, the Municipal Corporation and the Board of Education of the Township of York. Here's what it says:

Plaque coordinates: 43.657262 -79.493937

This area includes the site of Taiaiagon Iroquois Village at the foot of the Toronto Carrying Place (Le Portage de Toronto). This way passed Étienne Brûlé, first white man to see Lake Ontario, 1615; René Robert Cavelier de la Salle, explorer of the Mississippi 1680 and 1681; John Graves Simcoe, first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, 1793. These lands now known as Baby Point were purchased by Honourable James Baby, member of the Legislative and Executive Councils, 1820.

More
Towns and Villages
York plaques

Here are the visitors' comments for this page.
You can write a comment here.

Posted April 6, 2013
Hi to everyone who grew up in Baby Point. I did not grow up there but I did go to school with many of you at Humbercrest PS. I hope you are all doing well and it was great finding this site. My name is Hans Huber, hans@germanautowerksclovis.com

Posted February 12, 2013
I spent a number of years in Baby Point from 1960-1969 living first at 68 Baby Point Crescent and then 116 Baby Point Road. Our family moved to Nova Scotia in 1969 and I have resided in NS since. We were members of the Baby Point Club playing tennis there in the summer and skating on the flooded rink in winter. I knew Conn Smythe's home and met him several times walking to school. Friends with Stephen Scott, John Cole, Bill Christie, John Hammond, Greg Colucci and many others including the Pollock's. I often go through the neighbourhood when I am in T.O.
Email: gjenner@novacoffee.com

Posted January 22, 2013
Hello, I grew up on Baby Point Road - # 88. I remember the endless games of hide and seek, kick the can and hours of double dutch skipping, riding our bikes around the neighbourhood. I lived there from 1951 - 1967, when we moved to Caledon to live near my grandfather, Conn Smythe who also lived on Baby Point road - not sure about the dates, but I do know he lived there from at least 1935 to 1980 when he passed on.
I went to nursery school and took different classes (ballet being one of my favourites) at the Baby Point Road Club. I can remember skating at the rink after dark and shovelling the snow after a storm. Some years there wasn't much ice because it did depend on the weather.
The street hasn't changed much, I always go back when I am in the neighbourhood. My closest friends - those who I spent the most time with were Sarah McLean, Linda Fleury and Jill Hammond. Other people we associated with on the street were Nancy Boake and Mary Coulter (and if I've missed someone, it is only due to poor memory). We had lots of good times with people from other streets, spent plenty of nights sneaking out and playing on the swings at Cashman Park. Life was very good living in that area, going to Humbercrest Public School and Runnymede Collegiate.
It was a great place to grow up and I had NO idea of the history, thank you for sharing that. The more history there is the more fun...Hopefully I will pass this link along and my siblings, Candace (Hoult) Walton, Hugh Hoult, Trish Hoult and Kelly (Hoult) Lognon will pop in and share their experiences as well. BTW, have been looking for some time for Jill Hammond, would love to reconnect if every someone can provide a link to her - her mother's name was Ruth and her brother's name was Johnny, can't remember her dad's name.
email: deb.dobson@live.com

Posted September 23, 2011
Baby Point is a great neighbourhood, but I think it's a shame that the Toronto Portage trail and the probable sites of the First Nations villages and the French Fort Toronto weren't better preserved with beautiful public spaces and monuments so that the significance of the area and our history would be made clear to every Torontonian and visitor. The Baby Point neighbourhood as a place just doesn't convey the significance of these land. It is the starting point of our history and the cradle of civilization here as the site of the first trade route for natives and Europeans at Toronto and the starting point for human settlement. Considering the state of settlement today--a vibrant and cosmopolitan metropolis of a nation--I'd say such history is profoundly significant and should be commemorated in a more monumental way.

Posted August 18, 2011
I was brought up at 67 baby point crescent. We were the Marshall family. My mother was Mariette, my father was Lorne. The house was bought or built in the late 30's. We skated in the winter at the club house and played tennis in the summer when we weren't at the cottage on Balsam Lake. My father owned Marshall's Co. Ltd. My siblings are Elenore,Lorna Andy and Michele. we sold the house in 1972 I think. That house and my life there was wonderful. Jeannine Marshall Taylor now living on Vancouver Island.

Posted September 11, 2010
During the summer of 1682, three Frenchmen, Leduc, Abraham and Lachapelle, were attacked at Teiaiagon by the Iroquois. Their trading goods were stolen, but they survived. This Antoine Leduc is my family's ancestor. He was a "coureur de bois" and we have numerous Notary Documents of his life and travels. Based on these records I have written an historical novel entitled "Antoine coureur de bois", describing his adventures. Perhaps some day, someone, may be interested in making a film about his travels; crossing Teiaiagon and numerous places in Canada, and part of the USA.
Adrienne Leduc

Posted September 9, 2010
Well, this is interesting! I was looking for some old Baby Point friends and somehow saw this site. We lived at at 123 Baby Point Road from 1965-1969. Dave Fleury, John Davy, Jamie Blanshard, Linda Tulving, Elizabeth Boake, Greg Colucci, Tricia Holt, and John Hammond were all friends of mine. I might be one of the Pollock's that Gordon Wilson is looking for. My name is Andy and my older brother is Jeff. My email is hammondb3@rogers.com Cheers!
Andy Pollock

Posted March 31, 2010
Hello.although I didn't actually live on Baby Point, I did grow up just around the corner on St. Mark's Rd., and always felt we lived on the wrong side of the tracks, given the mansion appeal of those homes. I did however, have many, many friends on those streets and had a wonderful childhood playing in the surrounding Humber park. The last names of the kids I played with were Davy, Fluery, Blanchard, Coluccci, Hammond, Edwards, Radcliffe, Tulving, Holt, Pollock & Boake to name a few. If anyone could provide any info on any of these families, I would greatly appreciate a chance to tap into my past. Thank you for your help.
Gordon Wilson

Posted March 31, 2010
I'm looking for anyone who may have known the Skillen family who likely lived in the Baby Point area in the early 1930s- My grandfather was as U of T and used to talk about visiting friends in Baby Point. Now that I actually live here, I'd love to find out where, exactly, he visited.

Posted August 19, 2009
Hi everyone who lives on Baby Point now. I am writing from the Highlands of Scotland, whisky country. My father, Tommy Butterworth lived on Baby point with a lady called Gladys some 16 years ago now and died there. His Grand daughter came over to take him home and scatter his ashes on Gleneagles golf course as he had wished. If anyone remembers him or Gladys and can let me know what happened to Gladys it would be much appreciated.
Thank you. Barbara Butterworth

Posted March 30, 2009
I live on Baby Point Crescent and our family has been here since 1968. Its a great place to live and of course play!

Posted September 26, 2008
I live on L'estrange and I love it

Posted July 30, 2008
I resided on Le Strange Place from 1934 to 1949. I enjoyed playing tennis at Baby Point Club, went to nursery school there , skated in the winter with all my friends, and at one time, my father was on the board of the club. I have so many happy memories of my years of growing up in Baby Point. I vaguely remember your name and wonder if you had children whom I might have played with.

Posted July 1, 2008
I resided on 46 Baby Point Crescent from 1934 to 1959. There were still empty lots available for construction at that time. In the winter, the tennis court of the club house was iced over. In the summer, the prevalence of oak trees kept the strong sunlight from heating the houses--a/c was rare then in private homes. At that time, the five lights at intersections were reduced to three to save electricity during the war. They remained at that number for the rest of the time I lived there. In those days, I could name the residents of almost all of the homes on both the Road and the Crescent from Humbercrest Blvd in and can still recall most of them today. I remember when Baby Point Terrace was originally known as Mansford Street but L'Estrange has always borne that name. I would enjoy hearing from contemporary residents via e-mail. I'm retired now so time is all I have!!
Carl T. Erickson
carltayl@earth-comm.com

Here's where you can write a comment for this page.

Note: If you wish to ask me a question, please use the email link in the menu.

Note: Comments are moderated. Yours will appear on this page within 24 hours
(usually much sooner).

Note: As soon as the comment is posted, a link to it will appear on the home page in the section "Here are the 10 latest plaque pages with a new comment added by a visitor to this site."