A whisper of history. That’s what hangs in the air here at Toronto Island Park. Before you stands a place where Indigenous peoples found healing. A place once called Mnisiing “on the islands” in Ojibwe. This wasn’t always an island though. It was a peninsula. A long sandbar extending from the mainland. A place of relaxation for the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Then came the British. They built a blockhouse. A lighthouse followed in 1809. The keeper John Paul Radelmuller’s alleged murder is Toronto’s most enduring ghost story.
Toronto Island Park holds a fascinating story. A violent storm in 1858 permanently separated the peninsula from the mainland. The Toronto Islands were born. The Hanlan family were among the first year-round residents. They built an amusement park and a stadium. Babe Ruth even hit his first professional home run here in 1914.
The islands grew. Land reclamation added to their size. A thriving community developed. Cottages homes and hotels sprung up. There was even a school a church and various businesses. The Toronto Islands were a vibrant self-sufficient community. They were a car-free oasis. The largest in North America.
But change was coming. In the 1950s Metropolitan Toronto wanted to transform the Islands into parkland. The residents fought to save their homes. It was a long and arduous battle. Ultimately the residents won keeping their homes but also giving up a lot of land for the park. Today about 300 homes remain on Ward’s Island and Algonquin Island. The Toronto Island Park you see today.
Now look around you. At Toronto Island Park. Bicycles are a common sight. Ferries bring visitors from the mainland. People picnic. They play. They swim. You can even find a clothing-optional beach. The legacy of a unique community lives on. A testament to resilience and the fight for a way of life. A way of life preserved within Toronto Island Park.