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Swansea Historical Society Annual Walking Tour
Topic: “Could the Humber River Have Become Brûlé Lake?”
Time: 1:30 pm
Please mark your calendars for the FREE annual walking tour of the Swansea Historical Society, scheduled between 1:30 and 3:30 pm on Saturday afternoon, June the 8th, 2024.
In 1929, a coalition of amateur sports leaders called for the creation of a grand rowing-regatta course on the lower Humber River between Bloor Street and Lake Ontario. Had it happened, the largely natural river we experience today would have been transformed into a two-kilometre-long recreational area with significant implications for local development, as well as the environment and future natural disasters including Hurricane Hazel. This walk will explore the story of “Brûlé Lake” by walking the length of the course. We will explore how it almost came to be, what it could have meant, why the effort failed, and how the saga could be viewed as symbolic of the end of the predominance of amateur sports in favour of professional sports in Toronto.
The walk will be co-led by Patrick Okens, whose career in sport has included management roles at Row Ontario, Vancouver 2010, and Toronto 2015. His book Blues Before Sunrise: Rowing at the University of Toronto was published in 2023. Walk co-leader Lance Gleich has a life membership in the Swansea Historical Society and has been leading its annual walks since 2014. He is currently president of Heritage York, vice-president of DynaRail, and secretary of Walk Toronto.
The walk will begin at the Rousseaux Site off the South Kingsway, where parking is available. The starting location is on the south side of the Petro-Canada station at the foot of South Kingsway. It is also just across the South Kingsway from the Ripley Avenue stop on the 77 Swansea bus, and a short walk from the 501 Queen streetcar. The walk will end near the Old Mill subway station, where paid parking is available. A more direct walk between the starting and finishing locations is possible via Bloor Street and Riverside Drive.
More information can be found at the Eventbrite link here:
We hope you can join us on Saturday. All are welcome, and there is no admission charge.
Swansea Historical Society