Heritage Bike Ride in Long Branch (that is, a Jane’s Ride/Walk) takes place on May 6, 2018
Updates
Click here to access walk details at Jane’s Walk Toronto Facebook page >
The walk is also listed for Sunday, May 6, 2018 at the Jane’s Walk Toronto website.
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The Long Branch Neighbourhood Association has asked David Juliusson of Long Branch to help organize a Jane’s Walk/Ride for May 6, 2018.
He has contacted me for some historical information that may be of relevance for the event.
The May 6, 2018 Jane’s Ride/Walk will begin at the site located at the Colonel Samuel Smith Skating Trail. The caption for this photo, from a previous post, reads: Conclusion of a Jane’s Walk in Long Branch on May 4, 2013. The photo shows a historic building in New Toronto, a community just east of Long Branch. The building, now part of the Skating Trail at Colonel Samuel Smith Park, was formerly part of the Lakeshore Hospital Grounds, a former psychiatric hospital in the area which was closed down in 1979. Photo credit: Gay Chisholm
I’m reminded of a heritage bike ride in Long Branch that took place in 2012, as noted at a May 29, 2018 post at the Preserved Stories website:
Join us for a great Heritage Bike Ride in Long Branch on Saturday, June 2, 2012
May 6, 2018 Heritage Bike Ride in Long Branch
The ride would begin at the Skating Trail at Colonel Samuel Smith Park (see photo on the right).
The route, as David Juliusson has outlined, will proceed as follows:
“Along the Lake Promenade, stop at Long Branch Park to discuss the long Branch Hotel. Into Marie Curtis Park. Go under the Lakes Shore to see the bike race mural. Over to the site of Colonel Sam Smith house. Side streets to the cenotaph and the Heritage Tree. Up Thirty First St. to James S. Bell School. Back along side streets, [eventually] finish at the Skating Trail.”
Long Branch Hotel map. Drawing courtesy of Bill Rawson, May 2013
At Marie Curtis Park, David adds, “I have three stops planned out. The cannon in Marie Curtis Park. Along the Etobicoke Creek to talk about Hurricane Hazel and also the Toronto Purchase. A third where the Etobicoke-Mississauga border really is. I remember how many people were shocked last time [the border along the shoreline is actually just west of the outlet of Applewood Creek, quite some distance to the west of where the channelized version of Etobicoke Creek is now located; in the past, Lake Promenade extended westward to a point close to where Applewood Creed is now located].”
“The ride would be approximately two hours.” David Juliusson adds. “For this reason I have excluded the Aerodrome and going north of the Lake Shore. Just not enough time.”
Local history related to the May 6, 2019 Jane’s Ride/Walk
I have shared with David the following notes:
I would also recommend that you might want to refresh your memory, as it relates to local history, by checking out the links outlined below.
A good place to start on Long Branch history is this post:
As well, some key links including a link to posts about the Long Branch Hotel fire is available here:
A map from the Long Branch Historical Society shows the shoreline of Lake Ontario as it existed during the years before the Long Branch Hotel burned down.
The Long Branch Neighbourhood Character Guidelines document has some history although some minor historical details may require some fact-checking (as is the case with pretty well any fact that is published, related to local history in any community).
You can find a link to the Character Guidelines document at the LBNA website or else at this post:
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