Major natural heritage feature enclosing Toronto Harbour along with the isthmus.
Details of Site Location: The sandbar or sandy ridge extends from east to west at an angle from near the foot of Woodbine Avenue outwards into the lake, with its western end roughly in line with Bathurst Street. This is the location of the sandbar in its earliest recorded state.
Boundary History: Boundaries are defined differently in different periods. As shown in the early maps, the sandbar was a ridge of sand roughly 0.25 mile wide and approximately 5.5 miles long. It was completely surrounded by shifting banks of sand underwater along its south or lake side and by marshlands along its north side – hence its precise land area was difficult to define in the early years of settlement.
Current Use of Property: Current uses of the property range from sandy beaches and recreational areas to municipal utility services and industries of several types. Current uses have completely obscured the northern edges of the sandbar at all points, with some alteration of the southern edge due to infilling and landscaping at several points.
Historical Description: The sandbar was created out of eroded material from Scarborough Bluffs carried by westerly lake currents and deposited both east and west of the Don River some distance south of the mainland. The sandbar enclosed Ashbridge’s Bay and was added to along its north side by several creeks that flowed into the Bay area carrying silts and other material. These watercourses have now vanished or been buried, except for the Don River. Along Ashbridge’s Bay, the sandy ridge extends for three miles eastwards from the Eastern Gap of today. At the western end, the ridge met shingle (shoreline rounded pebbles) in a stretch of about 1000 yards from which it began to curve northwards in a form enclosing Blockhouse Bay. The mainland side of the ridge was forested and was a source of great pleasure to Elizabeth Simcoe, who recorded many species of plants and trees in her diary – the first recording of Toronto’s natural history. From the early 19th century until just after the turn of the 20th century, a commercial fishery flourished, with fishermen’s huts scattered along the length of the sandbar. At times, these huts were wiped out by severe storms and high water. In Lake Ontario, the fishermen sought whitefish, herring, and salmon and sold them initially at the Fish Market on the mainland shore and later at the St. Lawrence Market.
Relative Importance: The importance of the sandbar is major, in that there would be no Toronto Bay or Harbour, and no Toronto Islands, without it. Later infilling has completely obscured the original nature of the harbour side of the sandbar, and mostly obscured the north side through development.
Planning Implications: In planning affecting the sandbar, it would benefit residents of the city and scholars in various fields if the course of the sandbar could be shown on a map against the contemporary contours of the islands and shorelines. The route would be appropriate as a walking trail echoing the route taken by Mrs. Simcoe, both across the isthmus and along the sandbar. It should also make clear that the sandbar extended to the mainland at its eastern extremity only in years of extremely low water levels, and then somewhat insecurely.
References and Acknowledgements: R.H. Bonnycastle, Royal Engineers, No. 1 Plan of the Town and Harbour of York, Upper Canada, 1833; Elizabeth Simcoe’s Diary (any edition); Toronto Field Naturalists; Ed Freeman, geologist; Rousseau Project files; Maps Project collections.