Toronto's Historical Plaques
Learn a little of Toronto's history as told through its plaques.
Hurricane Hazel
Photos by Alan L Brown - May 2005
There are five plaques in Toronto about Hurricane Hazel. You will find them all on this page. All the ground you see in this photo was, for a short but devastating time, under a LOT of water. The year: 1954. The month: October. The unexpected event: Hurricane Hazel. An Ontario Heritage Foundation plaque plus two other plaques tells us about this disaster. The Ontario Heritage Foundation plaque, visible in the photo near the Old Mill subway station, has this to say:
On October 15, 1954, Hurricane Hazel hit southern Ontario with 110 km/h winds and over 200 mm of rain. Many rivers, including the Humber, Don and Rouge overflowed flooding communities in much of southern Ontario. The storm killed 81 people, left 1868 families homeless, and caused extensive property damage. International and local donations to a flood relief fund assisted victims, and all three levels of government shared the expenses of paying for property damage and removing houses located in floodplains. Hurricane Hazel's legacy was the development of a sophisticated weather warning system for the province, measures to conserve the watersheds of major rivers, and a continually evolving system of flood warning and control.
Location Co-ordinates: 43.648924 -79.492478
Photo by Alan L Brown - September 2006
A plaque erected by Metropolitan Toronto Parks and Property is located here in Marie Curtis Park in the south-west corner of the city at the mouth of Etobicoke Creek between the creek and the parking lot off 42nd Street. It has this to say:
On October 16, 1954, Metropolitan Toronto experienced wide-spread devastation and extensive loss of life as a result of Hurricane Hazel. Many people acted very bravely in their attempts to help and rescue their fellow citizens. This plaque is to commemorate those that lost their lives and those that displayed such acts of courage and heroism in this area.
Location Co-ordinates: 43.586631 -79.543633
Photo by Alan L Brown - July 2007
A 1955 plaque erected by the Kingsway-Lambton Volunteer Fire Dept. and Lakeshore District Firemen is located here in Home Smith Park about half way south from Dundas Street to Old Mill Road on a large rock near the river. A duplicate of the plaque is located at Toronto Fire Station 431 at 308 Prince Edward Drive South, a couple of blocks south of Bloor Street. The plaque has this to say:
In proud memory of these men of the Kingsway-Lambton Volunteer Fire Department: Clarence (Tiny) Collins, Frank Mercer, Roy Oliver, David Palmateer, Angus Small. They lost their lives in the swollen Humber River while on rescue work during Hurricane Hazel, 16th October 1954. Faithful unto death.
Location Co-ordinates: 43.657991 -79.500160
Photo by Alan L Brown - September 2006
This footbridge over the Humber River near Lawrence Avenue West replaced one destroyed by Hurricane Hazel. Parts of the wrecked footbridge, having been left where they ended up, were turned into memorials to the flood just north of this replacement bridge. Photos of the memorials are further down this page. A Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto plaque commemorating the bridge is located beside a parking lot off Raymore Drive. Here's what the plaque says:
As dawn broke on Thursday October 14, 1954, Hurricane Hazel reached Southern Ontario after lashing the eastern United States. By midnight Friday, October 15, an estimated 209mm of rain had fallen, creating massive floods throughout Metro. The resulting damage was severe. Just upstream, flood waters tore loose a footbridge that crossed the Humber River. The river rose 6 metres, sweeping away 14 homes on Raymore Drive and killing 32 residents in one hour. After Hurricane Hazel, the Metropolitan Toronto and Region Conservation Authority was established to promote watershed management and public ownership of the floodplain. Raymore Park was then dedicated in memory of Hurricane Hazel's many victims and survivors. In 1995, a new footbridge was constructed by Metro Toronto with support from the Province of Ontario, representing a substantial step towards the completion of the Humber Trail and greenway system.
Location Co-ordinates: 43.696633 -79.514537
Photo by Alan L Brown - August 2007
On the left side of this photo on a concrete block you will see a City of Scarborough Council plaque here on Finch Avenue east of Sewells Road. The plaque has this to say about this bridge over the Rouge River:
On October 15, 1954, Hurricane Hazel struck the Scarborough area with terrifying force, severely damaging or completely washing out several bridges. To maintain a safe flow of traffic throughout the Municipality, a number of Bailey Bridges were erected by the 2nd Field Engineer Regiment of the Canadian Military Engineers. This bridge is the last of those remaining in service in Scarborough. This plaque serves to commemorate the efforts of the 2nd Field Engineer Regiment in meeting this natural disaster.
Location Co-ordinates: 43.825262 -79.196491
Here are the comments for this page.
Posted September 14, 2008
Hazel came to Ontario 2 years before I was born, but I remember all the stories I heard about it. Nobody could forget the wrath of Hazel.
Posted September 6, 2008
there is actually a second bridge of this type in the same area @ the base of twin rivers.
Here's were 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).