The Festival of Bizarre Toronto History
Announcing a weird new event, plus the repatriation of Poundmaker's pipe and more...
I’m very excited to announce an odd new project I’ve been putting together:
The Festival of Bizarre Toronto History!
It’s a history festival dedicated to exploring strange stories from our city's past — a week filled with online lectures, panels, interviews, and walking tours featuring some of Toronto's greatest storytellers.
We’ll spend seven days digging into the weirdest tales our city has to offer, whether it's the peculiar story of how Toronto’s founding dog nearly got eaten, the mysterious disappearance of a famous millionaire, or the ridiculous regulations that sparked a war over an iconic culinary delight.
The festival is an idea that I’ve been dreaming about for years, so I’m thrilled to finally be making it a reality. And I’m even more excited by the wonderful speakers who’ve already agreed to be part of it.
Here’s everything else you need to know so far…
The Schedule
The festival will be taking place during the week of April 3.
From Monday to Friday, there will be a new online lecture, panel or interview every night. Those events will all happen over Zoom, and if you have to miss any don’t worry — they’ll all be recorded so you can watch them whenever you like.
Then on the weekend, we’ll head out into the city for a couple of truly bizarre walking tours.
Tickets
You can attend the entire festival for just $49.46 (including all taxes and fees).
More Information
I’ll be revealing the full line-up and sharing a detailed schedule soon. But in the meantime, you can learn more at:
THE REPATRIATION OF POUNDMAKER’S PIPE
Poundmaker (Pitikwahanapiwiyin) was a Cree chief in the late 1800s, maybe best known for the role he played during Louis Riel’s Northwest Resistance. He’s been hailed by many as a peacemaker for his part in the conflict, but that didn’t stop the Canadian government from charging him with treason. He was convicted and sent to prison, where his health suffered terribly. He never recovered from those months in jail, dying soon after being released.
His innocence was eventually recognized by the federal government, but that didn’t happen until 2019. And as The Toronto Star explains, “Plenty of Poundmaker’s possessions were either stolen, gifted or sold, eventually landing in various museums following his arrest in 1885.” His pipe and saddle bag have been held at the Royal Ontario Museum for nearly a century, having been donated to the museum by a Torontonian professor who’d been sent west to fight against Poundmaker as a member of the Queen’s Own Rifles militia. He claimed the items had originally been given to another man by Poundmaker himself.
Now, the ROM is returning that pipe and saddle bag to Poundmaker’s descendants. The items were repatriated during a ceremony this week. As the chief’s great-great-granddaughter, Pauline Poundmaker, explains, “If we are, as a society, serious and committed to reconciliation, then one of the ways we can achieve that is through having nations become whole again.”
Just a very quick reminder that The Toronto History Weekly is a ton of work to put together, so it will only survive if enough of you are willing to switch to a paid subscription. With a few dollars a month, you’ll be helping to keep it going, supporting all the other work I do, and bringing these stories to all of those who aren’t able to contribute. You can make the switch by clicking here:
TORONTO’S STRANGEST RIOT — LECTURE THIS THURSDAY!
THE TORONTO CIRCUS RIOT: A TRUE TALE OF SEX, VIOLENCE, CORRUPTION AND CLOWNS
March 2 — 7pm — Online — West Toronto Junction Historical Society
If you can’t wait for my new festival to hear about some weird Toronto history, you’re in luck! This Thursday evening, I’ll be giving a talk about our city’s strangest riot. It broke out in the summer of 1855, sparked by a brawl at a King Street brothel — when some rowdy clowns picked a fight with a battle-hardened crew of firefighters on the most dangerous night of the year. That bizarre encounter would reverberate through the city. The circus performers had made a terrible mistake; those firefighters were members of the Orange Order, the powerful Protestant society that ruled Toronto for more than a century. And they wanted revenge. The circus grounds would soon become the scene of a bloody clash that shook Toronto to its core and laid bare the fault lines that once violently divided our city.
Free with registration, I believe!
QUICK LINKS
The best of everything else that’s new in Toronto’s past…
INDIGENOUS TORONTO NEWS — I’m currently reading Indigenous Toronto: Stories That Carry This Place. A panel was put together to discuss the book, featuring Philip Cote, Rebeka Tabobondung, Mnawaate Gordon-Corbiere and John Lorinc. Watch it.
THE TREES ARE COMING DOWN NEWS — It looks like the trees of Osgoode Hall have lost their final battle. A court refused to hear an appeal from the Haudenosaunee Development Institute, clearing the way for Metrolinx to finish chopping down the beloved leafy canopy at the corner of Queen & University. Read more.
SUBTERRANEAN NEWS — Torontoverse put together a neat look at the evolution of the PATH, tracing our city’s tunnel history all the way back to the year 1900. Read more.
SAD CULTURAL CEO NEWS — Peter Herrndorf passed away last weekend. He was a big part of Canadian culture for half a century, getting his start as a reporter at the CBC before running everything from TVO to Toronto Life to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. Steve Paikin remembered him at TVO (read it), while Lynn Cunningham did the same at Toronto Life (read it).
SAD ARCHITECT NEWS — William Greer also passed away earlier this month. He spent 16 years as the Chief Architect of the Heritage Preservation Division of the Toronto Historical Board before becoming a heritage consultant. Read more.
A REMINDER OF WHAT WE ONCE HAD NEWS — One of the first things I ever wrote in this newsletter was about the renovations to the Eaton Centre and how they serve as a reminder of just how much cooler the mall at the heart of our city used to be. And while the current work threatens to chip away in more of the building’s original elegance, the construction has at least briefly uncovered one of those beautiful old features:
Sabrina Gamrot wrote about the tiles for blogTO. Read more.
MISSING MOVING SIDEWALK NEWS — Meanwhile… with the pedestrian tunnel inside Spadina Station getting retiled, nearly all evidence of the old moving sidewalk has vanished. Jack Landau takes the opportunity to delve into the history of the beloved old relic, the one remaining hint of its presence, and future plans to make that long, boring walk a little less so. Read more.
MISTAKE BY THE LAKE NEWS — The Blue Jays started playing Spring Training games in Florida this week, a reminder that a new season if just around the corner. But former Jays great Jesse Barfield was looking back instead of forward, sharing fond memories of the team’s drafty old park, Exhibition Stadium. It sparked quite a debate as Jack Landau writes. Read more.
And if you’re interested in our city’s baseball past, this seems like a good time to mention that I’ll be offering my online Toronto baseball history course, From Sandlot To SkyDome, again this summer. Learn more.
BLACK RIVER HISTORY NEWS — Jacqueline Scott uncovered the Black history of ten Ontario rivers for The Narwhal, including a very interesting story about a man connected to the Humber River. Read more.
A BUN DANCE NEWS — Kristine Morris recently dove into the history of what was once one of the most popular restaurants in the city, opened by a famous ballet dancer in 1980. Read more.
WATERFRONT ICON NEWS — The Toronto Harbour Commission building is one of the icons of our city’s waterfront, though today it stands in a parking plot rather than on the shoreline, a victim of the infill that created new land along the lake. This week, Ande Cherise wrote about the news that the building, which is currently home to a steakhouse, is becoming an event space instead. Read more.
TORONTO HISTORY EVENTS
MARY ANN SHADD CARY: “BREAKING THE EDITORIAL ICE”
Various times throughout February — Mackenzie House
“In 2023, we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Mary Ann Shadd Cary, the first Black woman to publish a newspaper in North America! In 1854, Mary Ann published The Provincial Freeman from King Street in Toronto. Visit the Mackenzie House printshop to print a customized copy of Mary Ann's newspaper, and a bookmark featuring one of her most famous quotes! Printing workshops are free. Pre-registration is required.”
Free with registration!
TEN OF TORONTO: WHAT DO TEN NEIGHBOURHOODS TELL US ABOUT WHO WE ARE?
Until April 30 — Myseum — 401 Richmond Street West
“Toronto is vast and diverse in people, places, and experiences. With 2.8 million of us who call this dynamic city home, we explore what it means to call Toronto a ‘city of neighbourhoods’ through the lens of 10 distinct communities and themes. In Ten of Toronto, we reflect on our shared histories by looking at the forces that have shaped the city’s neighbourhoods: geography, economy, immigration, finance, urban development, culture, inequality, and social values. Join us, steal away, and stay awhile. We invite you to discover your own path through the stories and histories we’ve unearthed for this exhibit, and lend your voice – what do neighborhoods mean to you?”
Free!
CITY OF TORONTO ARCHIVES: RESOURCES FOR THE GENEALOGIST
February 27 — 7:30pm — Both online & at Lansing United Church — Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society
“Do you have family tree roots in Toronto? You can discover a lot about a person by researching where they lived. Jessica Algie, from the City of Toronto Archives, will demonstrate, step-by-step, how to find your ancestors in municipal archival records. We’ll start with online resources including maps, city directories and photos, before diving into local tax assessment rolls, which can be treasure troves of information.
“Finally, archivist John Dirks, will give you a sneak peek at an exciting, newly processed collection, Fonds 602, First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto, now available for research at the City of Toronto Archives. This collection is of particular interest to genealogists as it includes vital statistics registers of marriages, child dedications and memorial services.”
Free, I believe!
ROBERT HOME SMITH, RIVERSIDE DRIVE, AND THE HUMBER VALLEY DEVELOPMENTS
March 1 — 8pm — Online — The Swansea Historical Society
“Robert Home Smith was a fascinating and multi-faceted Toronto character in the early 1900s, a lawyer by training, a civic leader, an international investor, and a property developer who was also a natural-born town planner with a vision and an eye for architecture. Among his many contributions to Toronto’s history were the development of a series of elegant west-end neighbourhoods including The Kingsway, Baby Point, Humber Valley Village, and Swansea’s Riverside Drive area.”
Free, I believe!
I TURN MY CAMERA ON: TORONTO ALT-ROCK IN THE 1980s
March 1 to April 30 — The Local — 396 Roncesvalles
West end bar The Local will be displaying photographs taken by Jeremy Gilbert during the golden age of Toronto alt rock.
Free presumably!
STEP BACK IN TIME: AN INTERACTIVE PHOTO EXHIBITION
March 1 to 31 — Latitude 44 Gallery Framing Décor — 2900 Dundas St. W
“To commemorate our 50th anniversary, The Junction BIA, in partnership with Latitude 44 Gallery Framing Décor, presents an Interactive Photo Exhibition & Silent Auction featuring archival Junction photography from 100 years ago! Each image is accompanied by informative signage, and as a bonus, one of the photographs will be animated with augmented reality (AR) by globally successful artist Benjamin Mitchley. You won’t want to miss this! Immerse yourself in the magical world of augmented reality while discovering how the Junction has developed throughout the years.”
Free!
TORONTO IN LITERATURE BOOK CLUB: THE BEATLE BANDIT
March 9 — 2pm — Online — Toronto Public Library
& March 16 — 7pm — Toronto Reference Library
“The Toronto in Literature Book Club meets monthly to discuss literature set in, or near, the city of Toronto. Join us for a discussion of The Beatle Bandit: A Serial Bank Robber's Deadly Heist, a cross-Country Manhunt, and the Insanity Plea that Shook the Nation by Nate Hendley. The sensational true story of how a bank robber killed a man in a wild shootout, sparking a national debate around gun control and the death penalty.”
Free!
BY THE LAKE BOOK CLUB: THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
March 14 — 7pm — Online and at Assembly Hall in Etobicoke
“Join Adrienne Shadd for a conversation about her book. Meticulously researched and based on never-before-published information on the African-Canadian community of Toronto, this book recounts the journeys of brave travellers, and the network of clandestine routes and safe houses they traversed on the underground railroad seeking freedom in Toronto, and their captivating life after they arrive.”
$10–$28, I believe.
WRITING FAMILY HISTORY — SHAPING GENEALOGY INTO SHAREABLE STORIES
March 27 — 7:30pm — Both online & at Lansing United Church — Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society
“Here’s the problem; your family, they don’t want your stuff. No one is stepping forward to say I’ll take your endless boxes of genealogy files. There’s a couple of reasons for that. First, it appears at least on the surface, they’re not interested in your family history. They’ve rolled their eyes every time you attempted to show them new-found document. ... But a book with a collection of family stories they can put on their coffee table or display on a bookshelf is much more likely to appeal to them. It’s also more likely to get read and shared. Lynn Palermo will take you on a storytelling journey demonstrating for you how to turn your research into entertaining and shareable stories. Leave this presentation armed with the first steps to starting a family history narrative and motivated to turn your boxes of documents into an expressive and lasting legacy for future generations.”
Free, I believe!