I have been going to High Park in Toronto for well over sixty-five years. As of writing this book, in May 2025, I am seventy years old. So, High Park has been a part of my life for almost all my life-as a kid, a teenager, and an adult. While The History of High Park Toronto Canada focuses on the history of High Park, with some forays into the surrounding area, it is also personal. My partner, Lyn, and I currently live just a five-minute walk from the park.
For over twenty years, we walked our two Giant Schnauzers almost daily through the off-leash area to Dog Hill, where they played rambunctiously with other dogs. This book covers the formation and history of High Park, discusses the devlopment and evolution of its numerous anmenities, looks at the impact of High Park on the neighbourhoods around it, compares High Park to othe rmajor urban parks, and speculates on the future ofHigh Park.
In short, if you want to know High Park, this is the book for you. ContentsDedication & AcknowledgementsIntroductionMy Relationship with High ParkNatural and Indigenous HistoryThe Howards and Gift of ParkExpanding and Preserving the ParkWaterways and WetlandsRoads and Rails and Car ControversiesZoo, Colborne Lodge, other LandmarksAmenities Across the DecadesFood & Fellowship: Grenadier RestaurantThe Cherry BlossomsPolitical and Governmental InfluenceNeighbourhood and LegacyHigh Park Compared to Other Urban ParksSafety in High ParkWhy Parks MatterFuture of High Park
I have been going to High Park in Toronto for well over sixty-five years. As of writing this book, in May 2025, I am seventy years old. So, High Park has been a part of my life for almost all my life-as a kid, a teenager, and an adult. While The History of High Park Toronto Canada focuses on the history of High Park, with some forays into the surrounding area, it is also personal. My partner, Lyn, and I currently live just a five-minute walk from the park.
For over twenty years, we walked our two Giant Schnauzers almost daily through the off-leash area to Dog Hill, where they played rambunctiously with other dogs. This book covers the formation and history of High Park, discusses the devlopment and evolution of its numerous anmenities, looks at the impact of High Park on the neighbourhoods around it, compares High Park to othe rmajor urban parks, and speculates on the future ofHigh Park.
In short, if you want to know High Park, this is the book for you. ContentsDedication & AcknowledgementsIntroductionMy Relationship with High ParkNatural and Indigenous HistoryThe Howards and Gift of ParkExpanding and Preserving the ParkWaterways and WetlandsRoads and Rails and Car ControversiesZoo, Colborne Lodge, other LandmarksAmenities Across the DecadesFood & Fellowship: Grenadier RestaurantThe Cherry BlossomsPolitical and Governmental InfluenceNeighbourhood and LegacyHigh Park Compared to Other Urban ParksSafety in High ParkWhy Parks MatterFuture of High Park