Straightening The Don, 1890

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted September, 2006

With the Dundas Street East bridge in the distance, the Don River flows straight south. I took this photo standing on the north side of the west end of the Queen Street Bridge. There's a plaque on the east end of the bridge erected in 2003 by the Riverdale Historical Society which says:

Plaque coordinates: 43.658077 -79.353476

Prior to 1890 the Don River meandered through an unspoiled valley and was popular for swimming, boating, fishing and skating.The straightened channel, known as the 'Don Improvement', was built to prevent flooding and permit shipping and railway access to downtown. Although for a short time pleasure boats cruised up the river to Winchester Street, industrial growth, and later the Don Valley Parkway, discouraged recreational use of the Don.

Related web pages
Don River
Don Valley Parkway

Related Toronto plaques
Charles Sauriol Conservation Reserve
Betty Sutherland Trail

More
Rivers and Waterways

Here are the visitors' comments for this page.

Posted August 15, 2011
Hi. I used to live in the Broadview/Gerrard area and just recently started to do my own research. I lived on Mount Stephen Street (formerly Close St.) and often wondered why the street started at Number 19. I noticed old maps show a curving street which ran from Broadview to Gerrard. Today part of this street is Blackburn Ave. Also, the original street runs at a different angle than the present day Blackburn. Did the alterations to the Don change Close Street? This area is full of early Toronto history. When I was a child (pre expressway) we spent hours in the valley and lamented that it was perfect except for the dirty water of the Don River. Thanks for a very good article!
Kathy Wilson kathgar.3939@yahoo.com

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