Discover Toronto's history as told through its plaques
2004 - Now in our 15th Year - 2019
To see what's new on this site, you can visit the Home Page
Looking at this page on a smartphone?
For best viewing, hold your phone in Landscape mode (Horizontal)
The Escarpment
Photo by the City of Toronto - Posted September, 2011
Photo and transcription by contributor Wayne Adam - Posted September, 2011
Attached to this westbound St. Clair Avenue West transit shelter at Glenholme Avenue is this City of Toronto plaque. Here's what it says:
Coordinates: 43.678836 -79.439121 |
 |
At the beginning of the last great Ice Age, 120,000 years ago, Toronto lay beneath an ice-sheet more than 2 kilometres high. As the glacier retreated the meltwater created an inland sea, twice as large as present day Lake Ontario, called Lake Iroquois. The lake created a shore bluff between the Don and Humber Rivers, where the coastal waters of Lake Iroquois had a sharper drop-off. Silt and mud washed back into the lake, and sand and gravel formed a beach and spits.
As Lake Iroquois drained, first to the south and then through the St. Lawrence river, its water levels fell below those of the present time. This smaller body of water was called Lake Admirality.
As Lake Admirality rose to become today's Lake Ontario, the land north of the escarpment was open and rough, while to the south, the beginnings of Toronto merited the name "Muddy York".
Visit the 5 staircases along the escarpment for great views of Lake Ontario and the city.
Related webpages
St. Clair Avenue
Ice Age
Lake Iroquois
Related Toronto plaques
Davenport Road
The Baldwin Steps
Related Ontario plaque
Niagara Escarpment
More
Geology
Here are the visitors' comments for this page.
(none yet)
Here's where you can send me a comment for this page.
Note: Your email address will be posted at the end of your comment so others can respond to you unless you request otherwise.
Note: Comments are moderated. Yours will appear on this page within 24 hours (usually much sooner).
Note: As soon as I have posted your comment, a reply to your email will be sent informing you.
To send me your comment, click [email protected].
Thanks
Webmaster
Note: If you wish to send me a personal email, click here.