From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Looking down upon Grenadier Pond.
High Park is one of the largest parks within the City of Toronto. It stretches south from Bloor Street West, west of Parkside Drive and east of Windermere Avenue. At its southern end, the park is separated from Lake Ontario by Lake Shore Boulevard West, The Gardiner Expressway, the CN railway line, and The Queensway.
Except for a small tract of land surrounding the Colborne Lodge, the park was ceded to the City of Toronto by architect, surveyor, and engineer John George Howard in 1873. Colborne Lodge was the retirement home of John and his wife, Jemima Howard. The park was originally named after its donor.
The landscape in the park is varied, with manicured gardens in the western side, and unkempt forest in the east. Between these extremes, you can find sports fields, vegetable gardens, a small zoo, and restaurants. During weekends in the summer, the roads through the park are closed while hordes of people descend on the park.
The park's most treasured feature, Grenadier Pond, is located at its western edge. Local legend states the pond was named after British soldiers, or Grenadiers, who fell through its frozen waters when crossing to defend the city in the War of 1812. Today, Grenadier Pond is renowned for its multiple species of bird and marsh wildlife.
Numerous buried rivers course within the park's boundaries. In 2003, city workers found strong evidence of the pre-glacial Laurentian River System when capping two artesian wells. The wells began spewing a plume of water, sand, shale and gravel 15 metres into the air. With this discovery, geologists have finally pinpointed the southern terminus of this ancient river system whose southerly flow begins near Georgian Bay. The watercourse, flowing 50 metres below the surface in pure bedrock, has remained undisturbed for thousands of years.
The "Dream in High Park" hosts outdoor Shakespearean plays during the summer, which are quite popular with Torontonians.
High Park lends its name to the many residential areas that border it. Indian Road, Village by the Park and Swansea can all be considered part of High Park. Only the area immediately north of the park, along High Park Avenue, can claim no other name.
