High Park is a municipal park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[2] It spans 161 hectares (400 acres), and is a mixed recreational and natural park, with sporting facilities, cultural facilities, educational facilities, gardens, playgrounds and a zoo. One third of the park remains in a natural state, with a rare oak savannah ecology. High Park was opened to the public in 1876 and is based on a bequest of land from John George Howard
John George Howard to the City of Toronto. While Rouge Park is the city's largest park, High Park
High Park is the largest park entirely within the city, as Rouge Park
Rouge Park extends into the neighbouring cities of Markham and Pickering. High Park
High Park is located to the west of Downtown Toronto, north of Humber Bay, and is maintained by the City of Toronto. It stretches south from Bloor Street
Bloor Street West to The Queensway, just north of Lake Ontario. It is bounded on the west by Ellis Park Road and Grenadier Pond and on the east by Parkside Drive.[3][4]
Contents
1 Description
1.1 Eastern ravine 1.2 Central plain and savannah 1.3 Grenadier Pond
2 History 3 Points of interest
3.1 Colborne Lodge
3.2 Gardens
3.3 Grenadier Cafe
3.4
High Park
High Park Nature Centre
3.5
High Park
High Park Zoo
3.6 Shakespeare in High Park
4 Recreation
4.1 Sports Facilities
5 2017 Invictus Games 6 Friends of the Park 7 Surrounding neighbourhoods 8 Monuments and sculptures 9 In popular media 10 Access 11 See also 12 References 13 External links
Description[edit]
The landscape in the park is hilly, with two deep ravines extending
the full north-south distance of the park.
Eastern ravine[edit]
The eastern ravine is a north-south ravine occupying the eastern half
of the park along a small creek and several ponds. A forested area
begins at the north-east corner of the park, at Bloor and Keele
Streets. The creek begins at spring-fed ponds, Howard Pond, and Ridout
Pond and flows south through the ravine along Spring Creek Road.
Halfway to the southern boundary of the park, the ravine is less
forested with picnic areas, the adventure playground, and the zoo.
Upper Duck Pond, just to the west of the adventure playground, often
has several species of ducks, including wood ducks to be seen. The
pond was one of the first locations where bird banding was done,
marked by a plaque. Great blue herons can sometimes be seen there and
at Lower Duck Pond, just north of The Queensway, where the water
drains in pipes south to Lake Ontario.
The eastern ravine lies over a buried river. In 2003, city workers
found strong evidence of the pre-ice age Laurentian River when capping
two artesian wells at the pond at the north-east corner of the Park.
The wells began spewing a plume of water, sand, shale and gravel 15
metres into the air. With this discovery, geologists finally
pinpointed the southern terminus of this ancient river system whose
southerly flow begins near Georgian Bay. The watercourse, flowing 50
metres (160 ft) below the surface in pure bedrock, has remained
undisturbed for thousands of years.[5][6]
Central plain and savannah[edit]
The central section is a large plain encompassing most of the northern
boundary, slowly narrowing to a point overlooking the lake, which is
the location of Colborne Lodge. While most of the plain is developed
for picnicking, gardens and sports fields, it has a stretch of open
habitat called oak savannah, of which there are few other examples in
Ontario. The towering black oak trees found throughout
High Park
High Park are a
characteristic of this habitat. Many of the trees are over 150 years
old.[7] The savannah is under the special care of the City and
volunteer conservationists.[4][7] Forested areas of
High Park
High Park are
maintained to mimic natural conditions, with downed trees left to
decay. Regular controlled burns are done to mimic forest fires and
their beneficial effects for oaks. Non-native plants outside the
ornamental gardens are weeded out by volunteers.[4] There is, however,
no shortage of non-native trees including Colorado spruce, Scots pine
and Northern catalpa.
Grenadier Pond[edit]
Grenadier Pond from the southern shore
Grenadier Pond is a large body of water 14.2 hectares (35 acres);[8]
located on the western edge of the park. It is named after the local
Town of York garrison of the 1800s and their use of the pond for
fishing. There are two local myths circulating about the pond. One is
that British Grenadiers fell through its thin ice when crossing to
defend the city in the War of 1812. Other myths include that the pond
is 'bottomless', that is, its depth cannot be measured due to the
amount of mud. Fishing remains a popular pastime. Largemouth bass,
black crappie, yellow perch, pumpkinseed, bluegill, brown bullhead and
carp sport fish are present in the pond.[9] Fish caught in the pond
are safe to eat,[9] and fishing derbies and casting contests have been
held there.
Initiatives have been made to improve the pond's health and
environment. Grenadier Pond receives some of its water from Wendigo
Creek (a small creek that began near Dundas Street West and Law Street
and ran down to a sandbar to Lake Ontario[10]) to
Wendigo Pond and
underground streams feeding it from the north. The northern end of the
Pond was naturalized, building a wetland to filter the waters the Pond
receives from the stream. The southern and south-western shore of the
pond was also naturalized, removing the manicured lawn and concrete
bank to improve the Pond's health and discourage
Canada
Canada geese. Signs
now ask people not to feed the waterfowl. Grenadier Pond is home to
multiple species of bird and marsh wildlife. The pond exits out to
Lake
Ontario
Ontario via pipes near Sir Casimir Gzowski Park, replacing the
natural sandbar that existed for
Wendigo Creek. Alongside its eastern
shore are to be found High Park's hillside gardens and grove of cherry
trees.
At its northern end is a remnant of
Wendigo Creek,
Wendigo Pond and a
children's playground. The creek, pond and
Wendigo Way are likely
named after the wendigo, mythical cannibalistic creatures of
Algonquian mythology. Algonquins did not have a settlement in the
park, but are believed to have used it for hunting and fishing and
cultivating corn on the sandy uplands of the park.[11] The ravine
extending north along the creek at one time extended north of the
park, past Bloor Street. The ravine was filled in to provide for an
extension of Bloor Street, and for housing development north of the
park.[12]
History[edit]
A map from the late 1800s created sometime after the establishment of High Park. The park is indicated at the left.
In 1836,
John George Howard
John George Howard purchased a 160-acre (65 ha) property
in the County of York, to the west of Toronto, for a sheep farm, at
the cost of $1,000.[13] It was here that Howard designed and built
Colborne Lodge, a Regency-style cottage in 1837 to complement its
natural surroundings[14][15] as the residence for himself and his wife
Jemima Frances Meikle.
In 1854, the railway first came to the south of the Howard estate.
Howard sold a strip of land approximately 2 acres (0.81 ha) along
the southern edge of the property to Hamilton and
Toronto
Toronto Railway
Company (Great Western Railway) for ₤300.[16] The sand bar
separating Grenadier Pond from Lake
Ontario
Ontario was filled in to support
the rails. An outlet weir was installed to control water levels.[17]
In 1891, a further strip was sold to the
Grand Trunk Railway
Grand Trunk Railway for
CA$1,000.[16]
After a successful career as architect, engineer and land surveyor to
the City of Toronto, Howard retired here in 1855.[13] In 1873, Howard
and his wife agreed to convey their country property of 120 acres
(49 ha) to the City of Toronto.[14] There were several conditions
to the conveyance, including that the Howards continue to live at
their residence, no alcohol ever be served in the park, and that the
city hold the park "for the free use, benefit and enjoyment of the
Citizens of
Toronto
Toronto for ever and to be called and designated at all
times thereafter High Park".[18] The City also had to pay a CA$300
down payment and an annual $1,200 pension to the Howards as long as
either of them lived.[19][20] The city council voted 13 to 2 to accept
the Howard's conditions. The two dissenters felt the park was too far
away from the city to be of any use to its citizens. At the time,
direct access to the Howard property was only by boat, the Great
Western Railway line to the south or a toll road. Soon afterward the
"Road to High Park" was built from the Lake Road to the park lands,
today's Spring Road and Centre Road.
Curling in High Park. A 1836 watercolour by John George Howard, the original owner of High Park
In 1876, a 120-acre (49 ha) portion of the Howard's property
formed the original park, along with 176 acres (71 ha) bought
from Percival Ridout east of the Howard farm. The remaining southern
40 acres (16 ha) of Howard's property, including Colborne Lodge,
passed to the city after John Howard's death in 1890.[14] The Howards
are buried in High Park, under a stone monument that is fronted by a
portion of ornate fencing from
St. Paul's Cathedral
.jpg/440px-St_Pauls_aerial_(cropped).jpg)
St. Paul's Cathedral in London,
England, across the street from Colborne Lodge.[18] Today, Colborne
Lodge is a museum containing many of the original Howard furnishings
and a collection of Howard's watercolours of early Toronto. The museum
is open year-round.[15]
The western section of High Park, including Grenadier Pond was
privately owned by the Ellis family (headed by John Ellis),[21] after
which Ellis Avenue is named after. The Ellis family sold the land to
the Chapman family (Wilma Chapman), which used Grenadier Pond for
ice-making under the brand name of the Grenadier Ice Company from the
1880s.[21] After the development of artificial ice-making and modern
refrigerators, ice-making from Grenadier Pond ceased around 1920
(consolidated their operations to their
Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe location under
Alfred H. Chapman,
Toronto
Toronto architect who inherited the family business
after his father's death)[21] The Grenadier Ice Company was located
south of Grenadier Pond, east of Ellis Avenue. In 1930, the Chapmans
sold 71.8 acres (29.1 ha), including the pond, to the City for
$150,000.[22]
The
High Park Forest School
High Park Forest School was opened in 1915 on two acres at
Colborne Lodge
Colborne Lodge Road at Spring Road.[23] The public school was for
children of "low vitality" and emphasized physical activity over
academics and often held classes outdoors.[24] After the 1960s, the
building was used by various organizations and was vacated in 2013. In
2015,
High Park
High Park Nature Centre moved into the building.[25]
In 1921, graves were found northwest of Grenadier Pond on the sandy
ridge, during the course of road construction near Harcroft and
Olympus Avenue, then the Harcroft Bird Sanctuary of architect J. A.
Harvey. Eight skeletons were found in the sitting position in red sand
below a huge stump. Other, smaller skeletons were found nearby.[26]
The human remains were dated to between 2,500 BC to 800 AD, indicating
some sort of indigenous peoples' presence at High Park.[27] The
remains were coated in hematite red powdery substance in the custom of
the
Red Paint People who lived in
New England
New England and Atlantic Canada.[26]
The site is also similar to the
Red Ocher people
Red Ocher people indigenous people who
made burials in sandy ridges.
18 acres (7.3 ha) of
High Park
High Park was later given to Metro
Transportation when
The Queensway
The Queensway was built in the early 1950s. This
was in contravention of stipulations by original
High Park
High Park owner John
Howard that the lands be used for parkland only. Metro officials
searched for descendants of Howard to obtain their consent.[28]
The park was known as a location for clandestine meetings of
homosexuals in the days before the decriminalization of homosexuality
in
Canada
Canada in the 1960s. Its reputation as a meeting place persisted
for decades afterward. In 1985, a group of five young teenage boys
from
Toronto
Toronto suburbs went to
High Park
High Park and beat to death a 40-year-old
male librarian.[29]
In 1993, the
High Park
High Park Citizens' Advisory Committee was founded as a
volunteer group to aid the City of
Toronto
Toronto in the stewardship of the
park. The group was renamed the
High Park
High Park Community Advisory Council
in 2003. The group and its offshoots have developed various programs
and initiatives for the park, including the Volunteer Stewardship
Program, which is involved in preserving and protecting the
environment of the park.[30] The group is active in promoting the
natural plant species in the park, and volunteers regularly remove
invasive non-native species.
According to the Taiaiako'n Historical Preservation Society, there are
57 ancient indigenous peoples' burial mounds in the park.[31] In May
2011, one such location was occupied by the Society. The site, a small
hill known as "Snake Mound" on the west bank of Lower Duck Pond, had
been eroded by illegal BMX bike use. The society, in cooperation with
the City of Toronto, cordoned off the location and worked to restore
the site, fixing the erosion, and removing the bike ramps present.[32]
At first, a replacement BMX bike park was suggested for the parking
lot at the south end of Spring Road, but public opposition led to the
bike facility to be built south of the railway, on land that was
infilled in the 1920s as part of the Sunnyside park development. A
mound north of Grenadier Restaurant, known as "Bear Mound" is believed
by the Society to also be an ancient burial mound, although an
assessment done for the City concluded otherwise.[33]
In 2012,
Toronto
Toronto City Council, in a round of cuts to city services,
voted to discontinue supporting the
High Park
High Park Zoo and seek alternative
funding. The zoo cost over CA$100,000 annually to operate and was
operated by the city's Park and Recreations Department. An
organization "Friends of the
High Park
High Park Zoo" was formed to fundraise
and seek other sponsors for the zoo. In April 2012, the organization
was successful in finding a sponsor (the Honey Family Foundation)
while the organization develops a permanent source of funding. The
sponsor will match public donations for the next three years.[34]
Points of interest[edit]
Painting of Colborne Lodge, 1865
The park includes several points of interest, including Colborne Lodge
historical museum, the hillside gardens, the zoo, the Grenadier Cafe
and the amphitheatre. The park also has sports fields, a pool, tennis
courts, playgrounds, nature trails and picnic areas.
From spring to fall, a "trackless train" — a tractor that tows
several wagons decorated to look like a red and white train —
is operated making a tour of the park every 30 minutes. The train
stops near Bloor Street, the north-western playground, west of the
Grenadier Cafe, at Grenadier Pond, south of
Colborne Lodge
Colborne Lodge and at the
Bell playground.[35] Tickets for the train are purchased from the
train's conductor.
Colborne Lodge[edit]
Main article: Colborne Lodge
Colborne Lodge
Colborne Lodge is a historical museum located in an 1836 home built by
John George Howard, an architect, engineer, and prominent Toronto
citizen who was the first land-owner of High Park. Howard built this
house, to house himself and his wife Jemima Frances Meikle. The lodge
became the property of the city following his death in 1890.[36] It is
perched on the top of a hill overlooking Lake Ontario. Across the
street from the lodge is Howard's tomb, a cairn monument of Howard and
his wife. The fence gate for the cairn is originally from St. Paul's
Cathedral in London.
Gardens[edit]
Landscaped gardens in High Park
On the hill to the east of Grenadier Pond, extending up to Colborne
Lodge Road, is a landscaped ornamental garden area. There is a 'rock
garden' extending from the top of the hill near Grenadier Cafe,
extending south-west nearly to the pond shore. Along Colborne Lodge
Road is a hanging garden and ornamental garden with fountains, the
'sunken gardens.'[35] At the bottom of the hill, nearly at the shore
line is a large maple leaf-shaped flower bed, visible from the top of
the hill. The area was a tobogganing area in the early 1900s. Toboggan
runs were constructed from the top of the hill extending down to the
pond's ice surface. Wedding photography is no longer permitted in the
hillside gardens area.[35]
A grove of Japanese cherry trees exists along a roadway from near
Grenadier Cafe leading down to Grenadier Pond, with spectacular blooms
in late April to early May. The grove is one of several plantings of
Japanese cherry trees in the park. The others are along West Road, the
shore of the pond and west of the Jamie Bell playground. In 1959, the
first Japanese Somei-Yoshino Cherry Tree was planted in High Park, a
gift from the citizens of Tokyo. A plaque marks the spot in 1959 where
the trees were presented by the Japanese ambassador to
Toronto
Toronto mayor
Nathan Phillips. Over 2000 cherry trees were donated to Toronto.[37]
Another 34 cherry trees were donated to
High Park
High Park in 2001 from the
Sakura project. These were planted around the Maple Leaf garden on the
eastern shore of the pond.[37] In 2006 a further 16 were planted in
the park.[37]
North of
Colborne Lodge
Colborne Lodge is the
High Park
High Park Children's Garden. It offers
programs for schools in the fall and spring, and day camps during the
summer for children to learn about growing plants and Toronto
parks.[35] The Children's Garden and
Colborne Lodge
Colborne Lodge hold an annual
'Harvest Festival' in the fall. It includes craft activities,
pumpkin-decorating, gardening displays, traditional games, and rides
on horse-drawn wagons.
North-east of the Grenadier Cafe are High Park's 109 allotment
gardens. To the east, south of Centre Road, are the High Park
greenhouses. Since 1956, the
High Park
High Park greenhouses have produced
millions of annuals and perennials for Toronto's park system.[38] The
nine interconnected greenhouses provide a view into the way the plants
are grown and distributed across the city. The greenhouses are not
normally open to the public, but are occasionally opened to tours.
Further north, around the
High Park
High Park Forest School, are several
examples of outdoor sculpture in the former sculpture garden. The
sculptures were commissioned and placed around the area for a 1967
international symposium.[39] Several of the sculptures are placed
within the forested area. Since the symposium, several sculptures were
relocated to other
Toronto
Toronto locations. One was relocated to Corktown
Common and another to Iceboat Terrace, west of Spadina Avenue.
Grenadier Cafe[edit]
Grenadier Cafe
A 300-seat restaurant and outdoor patio area is located in the centre
of the park at the intersection of West Road and
Colborne Lodge
Colborne Lodge Road.
The restaurant opened in May 1958 as a dining room and coffee shop,
known as The Grenadier.[40] The outdoor patio area was added later.
Due to the condition in the Howards' conveyance forbidding the
consumption of alcohol in the park,
High Park
High Park is the last "dry" area
of the City of Toronto, and the Cafe restaurant and banquet hall is
not licensed to serve alcohol. The restaurant is owned by the City of
Toronto, and privately operated under contract by the Grenadier Group.
An outdoor organic produce market operates during the summer weekends.
Twice a year, plant sales are held at the Cafe of plants native to the
park to raise money for conservation activities. The plants are native
to
High Park
High Park and
Ontario
Ontario and cultivation of the plants is encouraged
to preserve the species. The Cafe is also used for community meetings.
A labyrinth, based on the Chartes pattern, is located north of the
cafe, marked onto a concrete circle formerly used for a picnic
shelter. It was installed in 2004.[41]
High Park
High Park Nature Centre[edit]
High Park
High Park Nature Centre - at the Forest School in High Park
The
High Park
High Park Nature Centre, located in the Forest School building,
offers year-round outdoor and indoor programming to learn about
nature. It has programs for parents and babies, school-aged children
as well as family walks and adult workshops and lectures. A number of
programmes with volunteers undertake stewardship activities in High
Park to preserve native plant species, including the yearly removal of
invasive species such as buckthorn. The Centre also organizes nature
walks in the park. In 2016, over 12,000 visitors people took part in
High Park
High Park Nature Centre programming.[42]
The Centre is operated by
High Park
High Park Initiatives, a registered
non-profit organization.[43] The
High Park
High Park Nature Centre was awarded
an
Ontario
Ontario Trillium Foundation grant in 2014, allowing for the
purchase of furnishings to equip the much larger Forest School space
and also to expand programming. Recently, an Outdoor Urban Restoration
Space (OURSpace) was developed with the assistance of a Weston Parks
Challenge Grant. The Centre was established in 1999.
High Park
High Park Zoo[edit]
White Deer Buck rests at
High Park
High Park Zoo
High Park
High Park Zoo is a small collection of animals along Deer Pen Road,
which rises from the eastern ravine up to the plateau near the
Grenadier Restaurant. The zoo keeps American bison, Barbary sheep,
capybaras, emus, Highland cattle, llamas, Mouflon sheep, peacocks,
reindeer, wallabies and yaks in eleven paddocks.[44] The zoo is open
year-round from 7:00 a.m. to dusk.[45] On weekends from March to
October, the llama pen is open for visitors to feed and pet the
llamas.[46] Chickens and rabbits are also kept for children to
interact with at the same time as the llama visits.
The zoo animals are cared for by
Toronto
Toronto Parks, Forestry and
Recreation Division staff and Friends of
High Park
High Park Zoo volunteers. The
zoo's budget is partly paid for by volunteer donations to donation
boxes located along the zoo and online donations that are matched by
charitable foundations.[47] Friends of
High Park
High Park Zoo was formed after
Toronto
Toronto City Council voted to cancel funding for the zoo. The
organization has announced a master plan of improvements it hopes to
make to the zoo.[48]
The practice of keeping animals in the park originated in 1893,[49]
with the keeping of deer.[14] The zoo received international media
coverage in 2015 when a peacock escaped and was at large in the
surrounding neighbourhood for several weeks before returning on its
own to the zoo.[50]
Capybara
.JPG/440px-Capybara_(Hydrochoerus_hydrochaeris).JPG)
Capybara escape
A pair of capybaras kept at the zoo escaped in May 2016.[51] After initial efforts to capture them were unsuccessful,[52] sightings of capybaras were reported all over the city.[53] On June 6, the capybaras were still at large,[54] and a Twitter account was created in their honour.[55] On June 12, one was re-captured.[56] On June 28, the second capybara was re-captured. Shakespeare in High Park[edit] During the summer months, the Canadian Stage Company puts on selected Shakespearean plays in the park's amphitheatre. The amphitheatre is on the hill side directly to the east of the Grenadier Cafe and seats a few hundred people.[57] The annual event is called "Shakespeare in High Park" and is popular with Torontonians. The 2016 plays are Hamlet and All's Well That Ends Well.[58]
Playground prior to fire
New 2012 castle
Jamie Bell Adventure Playground
Recreation[edit] There are two main children's playgrounds in High Park. There is a playground in the northwest quadrant with a wading pool, picnic areas and snack bar. In the south-east corner of the park, an 'adventure playground' for children was assembled by volunteers in 1999. The playground is named after Jamie Bell, a volunteer who initially pioneered the idea.[2] In March 2012, a portion of the wooden play structures was burned down in an act of arson. The castle was rebuilt on the weekend of July 7–8, 2012 by volunteers. Another small play area is in the ravine just north of Grenadier Pond. Dogs are welcome in the park. There is a large "off-leash" area to the north-east of the Grenadier Cafe. In the rest of the park, dogs must remain on-leash.
View of Grenadier Pond looking south, showing skaters on ice
There are unpaved dirt trails throughout
High Park
High Park that are for hikers
and walkers only. Cycling is prohibited (by law) on unpaved trails and
roads in the park to prevent erosion and disturbance. Several of the
former roadways within the park have been closed to automotive
traffic, but are still accessible to pedestrians and cyclists.[59] In
the winter, the hiking paths are maintained for cross-country skiing
and snowshoeing.
A municipal swimming bath complex is open during the summertime, with
a water slide, a splash pad and a shallow wading area. As of
2008[update], there is no admittance fee for its use. The pool is
supervised by lifeguards.[59]
Ice hockey
.jpg/440px-Capitals-Maple_Leafs_(34075134291).jpg)
Ice hockey on Grenadier Pond, December 25, 1912
Children sledding in High Park, 1918
Skating on Grenadier Pond was banned by the
Toronto
Toronto Parks Department
starting in 2001,[60] but it remained a favourite skating location for
Torontonians in the west end of the city for skating and shinny.[61]
In the past, the "old" City of
Toronto
Toronto flooded the surface from holes
drilled in the ice and cleared areas for rinks.[62] In 2015, Toronto
City Council voted to fund a $25,000 ice monitoring program and
legalize skating again.[63] A record cold winter in 2015 had seen many
people skating on the ice despite bylaw officers attempting to write
$125 tickets.[64]
Tobogganing
Tobogganing used to be a popular pastime in the park. It is only done
now at the hill at Howard Park Avenue and Parkside Drive. Several
toboggan runs existed in the past in the hillside gardens area, and
the "bowl" at the bottom of an old toboggan run still exists just east
of Grenadier Pond, to the north-west of Grenadier Cafe, for a run that
started at West Road, and ended at the bowl next to the pond. The run
is no longer used and trees block the run.
Sports Facilities[edit]
In the central area of the park, there are two soccer fields and three
baseball diamonds available for organized play. One of the baseball
diamonds is home to the
High Park
High Park Braves baseball organization,
providing "Little League" organized baseball programs for children.
The smallest diamond is for T-Ball play and the larger field behind
the little league diamond is for older players.[59] In the winter, an
ice hockey ice rink is operated to the north of
High Park
High Park Pool.[59]
The rink was refurbished in 2009 after donations by the
Toronto
Toronto Maple
Leafs professional ice hockey team and retailer Home Depot.[65]
There are several tennis courts in two separate locations. There are
concrete courts along
Colborne Lodge
Colborne Lodge Road, to the north of the Pool,
operated by the
High Park
High Park Tennis Club.[66] Along Parkside Drive,
between Howard Park Avenue and Bloor Street, is a set of tennis courts
and a club house, operated by the Howard Park Tennis Club.[67]
2017 Invictus Games[edit]
High Park
High Park will be used for cycling events for the 2017 Invictus Games,
replacing
Toronto
Toronto Islands which is still recovering from flooding
during the spring and summer. ~
Friends of the Park[edit]
The Volunteer Stewardship Program (VSP) is a volunteer group working
with City of
Toronto
Toronto Urban Forestry and Horticulture staff, to protect
and restore the remaining natural areas of
High Park
High Park including large
areas of Savannah with Black Oak trees and related flora and fauna.
Spring, summer and fall activities include planting, collecting seeds,
and removing invasive species from restoration sites. There are
educational presentations and some greenhouse work in winter. The High
Park Natural Environment Committee volunteer committee advises the
city on environmental issues in the park. The groups have developed a
web site highparknature.org with extensive information about High
Park.
Surrounding neighbourhoods[edit]
Ornate gates at Howard Park & Keele (now Parkside), 1935. Since demolished, but similar gates are located at Parkside & High Park Avenue.
High Park
High Park also lends its name to two neighbourhood names used by the
City of Toronto, "High Park-Swansea" and "
High Park
High Park North" adjoining
the Park. High Park-Swansea encompasses the area west of Roncesvalles
Avenue, to
Bloor Street
Bloor Street on the north, and the Humber River on the
west, which includes
High Park
High Park itself.
High Park North
High Park North encompasses the
area to the east of Runnymede Road, north of Bloor Street, north to
Annette Street and Humberside Avenue, and east to the CNR/CPR railway
lines east of Dundas Street.
High Park North
High Park North is within the boundaries
of the former town of West
Toronto
Toronto Junction. These areas were
developed in the decades following 1900 and are mainly detached or
semi-detached homes. North of High Park, the area has seen extensive
developer activity, including several large apartment towers.
Residents to the north and east of the park normally call their
neighbourhood High Park.
High Park North
High Park North neighbourhood profile
High Park-Swansea neighbourhood profile
To the west is Swansea, which was once a village based around a metal
works. To the south of
High Park
High Park is the Sunnyside shoreline on Lake
Ontario. Along the lake are beaches, several playgrounds, wading
pools, Gus Ryder Pool and Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion.
Monuments and sculptures[edit]
"The Hippie"
Monument to John G. and Jemima Howard, benefactors of the park
Lesya Ukrainka
Lesya Ukrainka monument, Mykhailo Chereshniovsky, 1975
Portuguese stone cross (padrão), 25th Anniversary of the Portuguese
Community in
Canada
Canada 1953 to 1978, 1978
In 1967, an area east of
Colborne Lodge
Colborne Lodge Road, south of Bloor Street,
was the site of the
Toronto
Toronto International Sculpture Symposium[39] and
had numerous sculptures installed. Five of the original ten permanent
pieces remain in High Park:
The Hippie, William Koochin, 1967 Midsummer Night's Dream, Wessel Couzijn, 1967 November Pyramid, Bernard Schottlander, 1967 The Temple, Hubert Dalwood, 1967 Three Discs, Menashe Kadishman, 1967
In popular media[edit]
High Park
High Park is one of the central settings in the prize-winning novel
Fifteen Dogs by Canadian novelist, André Alexis.
Access[edit]
TTC streetcar at
High Park
High Park Loop
High Park
High Park is accessible by TTC:
The
High Park
High Park and Keele subway stations on the Bloor-Danforth subway
line are to the north of the park.
The 506 streetcar line has a terminus at the east side of the park, at
Parkside Drive and Howard Park Avenue.
The 80 Queensway bus operates from the Keele station, south along
Parkside Drive, along the east side of the park.
To the south, the 501 streetcar stops at
Colborne Lodge
Colborne Lodge Road and The
Queensway, just south of Colborne Lodge.
The 30B Lambton bus operates from Kipling and
High Park
High Park stations into
the park from Victoria Day to Labour Day.
Automobile access is allowed to most of the park, although several
roads are closed to vehicular traffic. Parking lots exist at the Bell
playground and zoo, at Colborne Lodge, at Grenadier Cafe, High Park
pool and the north-western children's playground, as well as along
some roads. On Sundays in summer, the roads are closed to traffic.
Colborne Lodge
Colborne Lodge Road does not allow through traffic from The Queensway
beyond the parking lot for the lodge.
People can walk or bicycle to the park along roads and streets and
enter from the neighbourhood. They can take the Martin Goodman Trail
along Lake
Ontario
Ontario to points south of the park.
See also[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to High Park, Toronto.
Roncesvalles, Toronto
Swansea, Toronto
Sunnyside, Toronto
Riverdale Farm
Riverdale Farm and
Toronto
Toronto Zoo—Toronto's other zoos
References[edit]
Filey, Mike (2003).
Toronto
Toronto Sketches 7: The Way We Were. Dundurn
Press.
Kidd, Joanna; Christensen, Tove; McEwen, Beth (2002). High Park:
Restoring a Jewel of Toronto’s Park System (PDF). Toronto: City of
Toronto
Toronto - Department of Parks and Recreation.
OCLC 63071051.
Archaeological Services Inc (2009). Stage 1-2 Archaeological Resource
Assessment of the "Bike Pit" and Picnic Area 7, High Park, City of
Toronto,
Ontario
Ontario (Report).
^ "Historic photos from around High Park, Toronto". WholeMap.com.
Retrieved May 7, 2011.
^ a b "High Park". City of Toronto. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
^ Toronto's
High Park
High Park (PDF) (Map). City of Toronto. Retrieved June 21,
2012.
^ a b c "
High Park
High Park - General Info". City of Toronto. Retrieved June
21, 2012.
^ Lakey, Jack (September 18, 2003). "The hidden
Toronto
Toronto A river runs
under it: Surprise gusher reveals ancient stream Pre-Ice Age course
flows in the bedrock".
Toronto
Toronto Star. p. A01.
^ "
Laurentian River System
Laurentian River System under High Park". Water Conserve. Reuters.
September 19, 2003. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012.
Retrieved June 21, 2012.
^ a b "Natural History of High Park". highparknature.org. Retrieved
July 18, 2016.
^ Kidd et al., p. 4
^ a b "Guide to Eating
Ontario
Ontario Sport Fish" (PDF).
Ontario
Ontario Ministry of
the Environment. p. 59. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
^ "Explore /
Wendigo Creek & Pond".
High Park
High Park Nature. April 4,
2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
^ Kidd et al., p. 6
^ "
Wendigo Creek &
Wendigo Pond". highparknature.org. Retrieved
July 7, 2016.
^ a b "Howard, John George". Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
Retrieved October 15, 2008.
^ a b c d "History of High Park".
High Park
High Park Community Advisory
Council. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved
October 15, 2008.
^ a b "Colborne Lodge". City of Toronto. Retrieved June 21,
2012.
^ a b Archaeological Services Inc 2009, p. 10.
^ Archaeological Services Inc 2009, p. 3.
^ a b "History of Colborne Lodge". City of Toronto. Retrieved October
15, 2008.
^ Filey 2003, p. 119.
^ "City of Toronto, Arts Heritage & Culture - Virtual Collection -
John Howard". City of Toronto. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
^ a b c Wencer, David. "Historicist: The Grenadier Ice Company
culture". Torontoist. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
^ Wencer, David (January 8, 2011). "Historicist: The Grenadier Ice
Company". Historicist. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
^ "Opening of
High Park
High Park Forest School".
Toronto
Toronto World. May 18, 1915.
p. 6.
^ "Weight Counts at Park School". Montreal Gazette. October 20, 1956.
p. 26.
^ "Mini-Migration, Immense Impact".
High Park
High Park Nature Centre. Retrieved
July 15, 2016.
^ a b Miles, Joan. "Intriguing traces of native burial mound" (PDF).
High Park: A Park-Lover's Quarterly (Winter 1995): 14. Retrieved July
18, 2016.
^ "High Park's First Nations Connections" (PDF) (pdf).
highparknature.org. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
^ "Award Expressway Contract Today for Queen St. Bridge Over Humber".
The Globe and Mail. March 22, 1955. p. 1.
^ "Teenagers' killing of gay mystifies". Ottawa Citizen. Canadian
Press. December 14, 1985. p. A5.
^ "
High Park
High Park News" (PDF). Vol 4, 2005.
High Park
High Park Community Advisory
Council. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2011.
Retrieved August 8, 2011.
^ "Taiaiako'n Historical Preservation Society". Retrieved May 19,
2011.
^ Spurr, Ben (May 18, 2011). "Disputed grounds". NOW Toronto.
Retrieved May 19, 2011.
^ Archaeological Services Inc 2009, p. i.
^ Hasham, Alyshah; Allen, Kate (April 9, 2012). "Embattled High Park
Zoo saved by last-minute cash donation".
Toronto
Toronto Star. Retrieved May
3, 2012.
^ a b c d "
High Park
High Park - Attractions & Features". City of Toronto.
Retrieved June 21, 2012.
^
Ontario
Ontario Heritage Trust
Colborne Lodge
Colborne Lodge 1836 Archived March 20, 2012,
at the Wayback Machine.
^ a b c "History of Sakura in High Park".
High Park
High Park Nature Centre.
Retrieved July 18, 2016.
^ Kupferman, Steve (May 10, 2011). "
High Park
High Park Greenhouses birthplace
to much of Toronto's greenery". National Post. Retrieved July 7,
2016.
^ a b "170-ton sculpture is 'going home'". Windsor Star. November 6,
1979. p. 10. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
^ "Restaurant in
High Park
High Park Opens May 15, Seats 300". The Globe and
Mail. May 5, 1958. p. 5.
^ "World-wide
Labyrinth
Labyrinth Locator".
Labyrinth
Labyrinth Society. Retrieved August
8, 2011.
^ https://www.highparknaturecentre.com/about/
^ "About".
High Park
High Park Nature Centre. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
^ "Zoo".
High Park
High Park Community Advisory Council. Archived from the
original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
^ "
High Park
High Park Zoo". City of Toronto. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
^ "About
High Park
High Park Zoo".
High Park
High Park Zoo. Archived from the original on
July 23, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
^ "Honey Match Fundraiser". Friends of
High Park
High Park Zoo. Archived from
the original on August 2, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
^ "FHPZ Unveils Master Plan for
High Park
High Park Zoo". Friends of High Park
Zoo. February 1, 2016. Archived from the original on August 13, 2016.
Retrieved July 18, 2016.
^ Hauch, Valerie (April 7, 2016). "How
High Park
High Park became Toronto's
"country" sanctuary". The
Toronto
Toronto Star. Retrieved April 11,
2016.
^ Sean Wetselaar (June 3, 2015). "
Toronto
Toronto peacock back at High Park
Zoo
Toronto
Toronto Star". Thestar.com. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
^ Laurent Bastien. "Try It Now". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved July 7,
2016.
^ "
Toronto
Toronto capybaras still at large Thursday after nighttime stakeout
fails to lure them back to zoo National Post".
News.nationalpost.com. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
^ Fakiha Baig (May 29, 2016). "Suddenly, there are capybaras all over
Toronto
Toronto
Toronto
Toronto Star". Thestar.com. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
^ Campbell, Will (June 6, 2016). "Pursuers tail capybara through High
Park only to see it slip away when cornered". Globalnews.ca. Retrieved
July 7, 2016.
^ "
High Park
High Park capybara (@HPcapybara)". Twitter. Retrieved July 7,
2016.
^ "1 down, 1 to go: Runaway capybara caught by
Toronto
Toronto Wildlife Centre
-
Toronto
Toronto - CBC News". Cbc.ca. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
^ "
High Park
High Park Amphitheatre". Canadian Stage Company. Retrieved June 21,
2012.
^ [1][dead link]
^ a b c d "
High Park
High Park - Programs and Activities". City of Toronto.
Retrieved June 21, 2012.
^ "High Park". City of Toronto.
^ "Letter from Paula Fletcher to
Toronto
Toronto Parks Department" (PDF). City
of Toronto.
^ "City parks chief wants skating on ponds, no matter what bureaucrats
say" (PDF).
^ Rider, David (December 10, 2016). "Legal skating coming back to
Grenadier Pond".
Toronto
Toronto Star. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
^ Rider, David (November 23, 2015). "
Toronto
Toronto council to look at
lifting Grenadier Pond skating ban".
Toronto
Toronto Star. Retrieved July 18,
2016.
^ "BLOOR WEST: Leafs hit the ice in High Park". Inside Toronto.
February 24, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
^ "Information".
High Park
High Park Tennis Club. Archived from the original on
July 31, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
^ "Location". Howard Park Tennis Club. Archived from the original on
February 13, 2009. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
External links[edit]
Official website
Map of
High Park
High Park in (PDF)
High Park
High Park Community Advisory Council
Highparknature.org - Natural Environment Committee and VSP website
about High Park
High Park
High Park Nature Centre
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