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Taddle Creek 'lost river'

Photo by Alan L Brown - Posted August, 2010

Photo by Alan L Brown - Posted November, 2012

This University of Toronto plaque is on Philosopher's Walk near Hoskin Avenue. Thanks to contributor Wayne Adam for informing me about it. Here's what it says:

Coordinates: 43.66533 -79.394841

This naturalistic ravine park setting know as Philosopher's Walk was once host to Taddle Creek, which over time has become 'lost' to Toronto's citizens. Taddle Creek flowed south for approximately 6 km from its source area on the edge of the old Glacial Lake Iroquois shoreline near St. Clair Avenue where it joined the Don River as it entered Toronto harbour near the Distillery District. Water quality was maintained by natural vegetation covering the watershed and aquatic organisms in the stream course. Taddle Creek provided habitat for fish and wildlife and a gathering place for Toronto's early inhabitants, notable the Ojibway.
As a result of the damming of McCaul's Pond to the south, impeding the natural flow of Taddle Creek, and contamination that polluted the river and brought about the risk of typhus and other disease, the creek was buried south of College Street by the 1850's and north of Bloor Street by the 1870's. The old town of York had grown and the surrounding neighbourhoods had intensified, making an underground sanitation and sewage system a priority. The part of Taddle Creek remaining at the surface on University lands was diverted to this subterranean system and buried by 1884. The topography of this ravine remains as a tangible reminder of Taddle Creek, with the dips and valleys defining the original river banks and the walkway itself following much the same path as the 'lost river'.

More Philosopher's Walk plaques
Queen Alexandra Gateway
Philosopher's Walk Amphitheatre

More
Rivers and Waterways

Here are the visitors' comments for this page.

> Posted March 31, 2011
A lovely web page on the history of Taddle Creek, and its relationship with the Philosopher's Walk. Very enriching to learn about the area. The little bio on Taddle Creek, (pg 32 of the Spring 2011 Magazine of the Royal Ontario Museum) lead me to this web page, by searching Taddle Creek history. What a beautiful image on the plaque, Taddle Creek- Lost River. I look forward to checking it out on my next walk through the campus park.
Carol Brook

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