Muddy York

The view looking north up Yonge from King Street on this day in 1924. credits: City of Toronto Archives

On this date in 1875, the clock at St. James Cathedral was illuminated for the first time.

On this date in 1837, John Howard and his wife moved into Colborne Lodge, a Regency-style cottage on their property west of the city. Colborne Lodge was given to the city upon his death in 1890. You visit it in High Park.

Welcome to a special holiday episode of Muddy York, the podcast where we dig into Toronto’s hidden stories and, let’s be honest, let ourselves get swept up in a little nostalgia. Today, we’re peeling back the frosty layers of one of Toronto’s most magical holiday traditions: the department store Christmas window displays.

Bonus: Christmas Window Displays by Muddy York: A Toronto History Podcast Welcome to a special holiday episode of Muddy York, the podcast where we dig into Toronto’s hidden stories and, let’s be honest, let ourselves get swept up in a little nostalgia. Today we’re peeling back the frosty layers of one of Toronto’s most magical holiday traditions: the department st...

On this date in 1871, Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, the fourth son of Alexander II, visited Toronto. He stayed at the Queen's Hotel on Front Street and dined at the Lt. Governor's residence.

In 1967, city planners proposed to demolish the rest of the First Chinatown to make room for office buildings. Community leaders led by Jean Lumb organized the "Save Chinatown Committee" to stop the project.

During the late 50s, most of The Ward, including 2/3 of Chinatown, was expropriated for the construction of New City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square. You can see the full extent of the expropriation in this photo.

During the 40s and 50s, the 'Big Four' Chinatown restaurants opened: Nanking, Lichee Garden, Sai Woo and Kwong Chow. They became local institutions and provided the first exposure to Chinese food for most Torontonians at the time.

The First Chinatown was centred on Elizabeth Street in an immigrant neighbourhood called The Ward. Today, most of this land is covered by City Hall and Nathan Philips Square.

Sam Ching used to be described as the first Chinese resident of Toronto because he was listed in an 1878 city directory (see below). However, Chinese residents are mentioned in media reports as early as 1873.

Arlene Chan joins us for this episode to talk about the history of Toronto's Chinatown. The Chinese presence in Toronto goes back to at least 1878. Learn more about the people who built this community and the fight to preserve it on Muddy York, Toronto's #1 history podcast.
https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/muddyyork/episodes/Chinatown-wArlene-Chan-e2selng

On this date in 1966, Allen Road opened as far south as Lawrence. It was supposed to be part of the Spadina Expressway, but the project was cancelled in 1971.

On this date in 1837, Julia Murdock was hanged for murdering her mistress with arsenic. She was the first woman to be hanged in Toronto and the Christian Guardian thought it was "exceedingly revolting to see among the spectators, a large number of women."

York University President, Murray Ross, sitting on the future site of York in 1960.

On this date in 1932, Leafs RW Irwin "Ace" Bailey was severely injured by a check from Bruins D Eddie Shore. Bailey was near death for the next two weeks. He survived, but his hockey career was finished. Bailey's #6 was the first number ever to be retired by an NHL team.