|
A Brief History of the Junction
- The story of West Toronto Junction
is a colourful turn-of-the-century saga of railroads, political
speculation and suburbanization, tightly bound into the boom
and bust economic cycles of the fast growing Toronto region.
- For 25 years from 1884 to 1909 the
Village, then Town of West Toronto Junction, Town of Toronto
Junction (1892-1907) and finally City of West Toronto (1908-9)
challenged the City of Toronto for industrial development
by offering rail sidings, cheap water for steam-driven machinery
and tax free status.
- Excellent transportation linkages
also helped the town to become a shopping centre for the farming
area west of Toronto.
- More than a suburb, less than an independent
entity, the town offered jobs, investment opportunities, fresh
air and Liberal politics within commuting distance of Tory
Toronto.
- Its prominence began as an accident
of geography; the junction of Indian trails which became highways
and finally railways.
BACK TO ARCHIVES
|
