toronto islands

There is a getaway not to far from the urban hell that can be daily life in the city. The Toronto islands have been a popular recreational destination for a long time now, known for it's sandy beaches, summer festivals (including Wakestock, Caribana and Olympic Island Festival put on by Sloan's Jay Ferguson ) and the largest urban car-free community in North America. Centre Island, Algonquin and Olympic are the major islands making up the "Toronto Islands" but there are six other small islands known as Forestry, Snake, South, RCYC and two unnamed islands, one in Lighthouse Pond and the other in Long Pond. Centre Island is by far the biggest, is crescent shaped and makes up the shoreline of both the Eastern and Western channels. The residential neighbourhood, which still has 262 permanent residences, is located on Algonquin Island and Wards "Island" which is actually just the far Eastern end of Centre island. The islands originally were connected to the rest of the city as a 9km peninsula extending from the mainland, but were separated by a flood in 1852 and widened even more after an intense storm in 1858. 

Gibraltar Lighthouse (today)

Going to back it up a bit to 1808 when  five years of construction finished up on a lighthouse, the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse. It still stands today, albeit about 100 meters inland due to sand build up, but originally it was right on the shore. It's height was increased from its original 52 foot height to 82 in 1932. There were ten lighthouse keepers living there from 1808 until 1958, but the most famous story might be the first one. As legend has it, J.P. Radanmuller, settled in Toronto while it was still York, with hopes of opening a German school. That didn't work out for him, and he was assigned to the job of caring for the new lighthouse.  It was reported that Radanmuller was also a bootlegger of beer and spirits from the United States. So, one evening after serving a bunch of patrons some illegal booze, he decides to wrap it up for the night.  Two or three drunk soldiers from nearby Fort York asked for some liquor but, for whatever reason, Radanmuller refused. The soliders then beat him down pretty hard, drag him up the stairs of the lighthouse then threw his body off the top. After that, to conceal their crime, they cut up the body of good ole JP and buried the parts all around the lighthouse. Does he still haunt the place? According to other lighthouse keepers there have been sightings of a ghostly figure on the stairs, especially on stormy nights, footsteps climbing the stairs, the sound of someone dragging something up to the lantern room along with strange thumps and groans when no one is inside. On the outside a strange 'mist' of swirling lights and orbs has been reported by onlookers. Not to mention a apparition roaming around the grounds looking for something on the lawn, quite obviously his scattered body parts. No one was convicted or even tried in the case, but some evidence to back up the murder theory was uncovered by then lighthouse keeper George Durnan, who dug up a human jaw bone not far from the lighthouse. 

Here is a August 3, 1958 CBC piece with the last lighthouse keeper DeeDee Dods on the hauntings. CLICK HERE

Hanlan's Point Amusement Park

After the peninsula became a full time island the Hanlan family were the among the first year round inhabitants, and the west side of the island became a resort destination for Torontonians, with the city acquiring the island in 1867 breaking it up into lots for cottages, hotels. The first hotel was built by John Hanlan on the North West tip of the island, and shortly thereafter Gibraltar Point was known as Hanlan's Point. In 1894, the Toronto Ferry Company created space for an amusement park and baseball/lacrosse stadium, known as Hanlan's Point stadium. It was rebuilt a couple times after fires, and housed the Toronto Maple Leafs, the city's first professional baseball team. In 1914, in a game between the Providence Greys and the Maple Leafs, a 19 year old George Herman Ruth hit his first professional home run and what would be his only minor league homer, sending a ball into Lake Ontario (he was called up to the majors pretty quickly), and also pitched that day, shutting out the Leafs as the Greys won 9-0. The Hanlan's Point Amusement park was open from the late 1890 until the 1920s, which served as Toronto, and Canada's version of Coney Island. The attractions at the park included a carousel, shooting galleries, roller coasters, a railway the looped through the park, serving as a monorail, a tea garden, grandstand, theatre and outdoor dance hall, not to mention the marquee attractions such as the Freak Show ("the great and only museum of living curiosities") and the diving horses King and Queen, who jumped from a forty foot platform, under their own accord without whipping them. Try that today you might be responding to a few emails. The park started to decline when the Maple Leafs left the island ball park for a new one at Bathurst and Lakeshore, the recession reached the city in the early 20s and the opening of Sunnyside Amusement Park was the final nail in the coffin. Everything was demolished on the site, and there was landfill brought in to fill in the gaps to make way for the Toronto Island airport. One the contraction on the new airport began in 1937, the cottage community were forced to relocate.  They were given the option of moving to the southern tip of Hanlan's point or over to Algonquin Island (which was just a sandbar known as Sunfish Island), which had to be expanded, but by 1938 there was a plan in place to accommodate 31 cottages moved by a barge from their original locations.  Unfortunately, today Hanlan's Point has not much going on at all, other than the "Clothing Optional" beach near the sand dunes at the south end of the island. Walking through today, along the chain-linked fence that separated the recreational side of the island from the airport is a plane refuelling station with about 10 gas tanks, and Esso trucks park everywhere. That's why, when you look at Hanlan's Point now you can't help but feel a little sad. There is literally, dozens upon dozens of unused picnic tables, fire drum pits, and those coal BBQs that pop out of the ground that are so unused and unloved, that not only are they deteriorating, the spider webs indicates that no one has sat or used them this year, and the grass is so burnt, dead and crunchy. It just looks like hell. There was a huge garbage bin by yet another run down Hanlan snack bar, with two empty bottles of water, and again, more spiderwebs that if you tries to throw something in, it would probably bounce right back at you. A real fall from grace for the place to be in the city. It was the Muskoka of the South and the Coney Island of the North but now it looks like unkept and unvisited park space. 

Near abandoned Hanlan's Point (today)

A narrow Ward's Island Street (today)

In contrast to the bustling early days of Hanlan's Point, the east end of the island was largely uninhabited until 1880 when William E Ward built the Ward's Hotel and a couple small homes and tents he rented out to guests. In 1899, the was a eight summer tenants who were charged $10 for the summer season, but grew rapidly (and owed thanks to Hanlan's Point for making the islands such a popular destination) and by 1913 the city felt it had to plan out streets and the tents eventually all became cottages. At it's mostly populous point in the 1950s, the islands full time residences extended from Ward's Island to Hanlan's Point, totalling 630 cottages/houses, a movie theatre, a bowling alley, stores, hotels and dance halls. But with the construction of the Gardiner (and subsequent loss of acres of parkland across the city's waterfront) the Metro Toronto Council wanted to revert the islands back to parkland. By 1963, people who were willing to leave the island did, and their cottages were demolished along with those of others who gave up on their lease or their leases had expired. After years of fighting, almost constantly from the 1950s to 1993, the Ontario Government passed a law enabling the Islanders to purchase a 99 year lease ensuring they are staying right where they are.  Aside from the residential areas, there is a great sandy beach on the southern end of the island, and is much less crowded than the Centre Island beaches and way less naked than the Hanlan's Point one.

Centre Island is currently the most popular, well kept (arguably - Wards residential area, although quite old, is kept up beautifully) and busiest of the islands. The Royal Canadian Yacht Club moved to a location harbour-side in 1881, which led to Toronto's rich and powerful to build huge Victorian summer homes on the lakefront of Centre Island. All the residences were demolished by 1964 on Centre Island to make way for a 1900s themed children's Amusement park known as Centreville. The park boasts a miniature railway, a carousel and petting zoos. The island is mainly park land, with one bar, a pizza stand and various food vendors throughout the park.  Renting bikes, kayaks and canoes is extremely popular at Centre Island.

Ironically, the part of the island with the great history is the one most neglected, and it's too bad because they have some great property over there at Hanlan's Point.. just needs some TLC. That's about all, check them out if you haven't or at least check out the sandy swimming area for everyone that thinks Toronto hasn't got good beaches!