LAMBTON MILLS AND THE LAMBTON HOUSE HOTEL Lambton Mills was established in 1807 when William Cooper purchased land and built saw, grist and woollen mills on both sides of the river close to Old Dundas Street. By the 1850s, Lambton Mills was a thriving community. W. P. Howland, who was a Father of Confederation, owned, with his brothers, all the Cooper enterprises and had built the Lambton House Hotel on the east side of the river. This hotel was a social centre for the area and a stagecoach stop along the Dundas Highway. It has now been restored and was designated a National Historic Site in 1997.
TEIAIAGON AND BABY POINT The plateau at the top of the shale and limestone cliff was home to First Peoples for thousands of years. Humbercrest Boulevard traces the path of the ancient Carrying Place Trail that existed along the eastern side of the plateau. During the late 1600s, a fortified Iroquois village, called Teiaiagon, was located there. In 1720, the French established a fort on the plateau to trade in furs with the First Nations. In 1820, the Honourable Jacques Bâby acquired 200 acres of land on the east bank of the Humber River including this plateau. Since then, the area has become known as Baby Point.
THE HUMBER, A CANADIAN HERITAGE RIVER The Humber, the largest river system in the Toronto region, was designated a Canadian Heritage River in 1999. A plaque commemorating this event is located in Brûlé Park. The ancient Toronto Carrying Place Trail follows the high ground east of the river. The river valley is a natural corridor for Toronto birds and other wildlife. Look for signs of beaver activity along the river. Also, watch for the many wildflowers blooming in the valley from spring to fall. More than 25 fish species inhabit this part of the river. These include pike, bass, perch, trout and salmon. In the fall, look for salmon leaping over the notched weirs as they swim upriver to spawn.
THE FISHER MILL AND HURRICANE HAZEL Thomas Fisher built a gristmill here in the 1830s. You can still see traces of the ruins among the trees bordering the picnic area. Hurricane Hazel struck southern Ontario on October 15, 1954 sending a wall of water 7 metres high down this river valley overpowering Toronto's watershed. Look for a nearby plaque honouring five volunteer firemen who drowned in a rescue attempt during the flood.
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Possible light rain tomorrow morning. 