The Flying Canine of Queen Street
Plus a romantic history of Toronto architecture, the final days for our sports history exhibit, and more...
It must have been a very strange sight. A little dog was soaring through the air above Queen Street. It had climbed out onto the ledge of a three-storey building at the corner of Victoria, high above a hat shop, and then launched itself into the void. The people walking below on that spring morning in 1909 watched as the wee canine made its dramatic leap, sailed through the April sky, and began its descent toward the city beneath it.
It was a spectacle so bizarre that it made front page news, reported in amazement by The Toronto Daily Star later that same day. As gravity wrapped its fingers around the tiny black and tan body, the dog hurtled toward the earth. It landed, said the newspaper, "with a muffled thud upon the unfeeling asphalt." Then it picked itself up and scampered away, apparently completely unharmed.
The surreal display left onlookers baffled. They tried to figure out what had just happened, why the dog had done it. The newspaper reported a series of conflicting theories that were bandied about by those on the sidewalk that day.
Some thought the creature had simply been caught up in the latest fad. "The dog," they felt, "had become insane on the question of aeroplanes, and was conducting a private experiment." It had been less than a decade since the Wright brothers' famous flight. The first Canadian airplane had taken off in Cape Breton just weeks before the dog's daring leap. Torontonians would witness the first flight above their own city at the end of that very same summer. Perhaps the little dog had been following the news and been so caught up in the excitement of the aviation age that it became convinced that it, too, could lay claim to glory as an aeronaut.
Others had a more sombre take. Some felt the jump had been a suicide attempt. The dog, it seems, was a stray. And life on the streets of the big city could be brutal for feral pups. "It was rumored," according to the Star, "that the canine had been thoroughly and successively licked in several street fights with its kind." And the dangers of life as a stray weren't limited to other dogs. Humans were a real threat, too.
Stray animals had been a problem in Toronto for more than a century at that point. In the city's early days as the muddy town of York, all sorts of domestic beasts were allowed to wander freely through the streets — including cows, horses, sheep, goats, and geese. When the municipal government was founded in the 1830s, one of the very first bylaws aimed to ban the pigs that had been allowed to run wild through the city up to that point.
Rules around dogs quickly followed. A licensing system was introduced, requiring them to be tagged and collared. Those regulations were enforced by dogcatchers, who roamed the city like death squads throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s. (I plan to write a whole post about them someday soon.) Any dog found without a tag would be captured in a net, taken off to the pound, and if it wasn't quickly claimed it would be put to death.
And so, having watched the little dog jump off the roof that morning, some of the bystanders on Queen Street wondered if it had grown tired of life on the streets. Maybe it was sick of evading the dogcatchers, exhausted by losing brawls to brawnier dogs. Maybe it had decided to take matters into its own paws and end it all with one long leap into death. Maybe it was as surprised as everyone else when it survived the ten-metre fall.
In the end, however, the reporter from the Star was able to uncover the truth of the matter. The answer to the mystery came from a clerk who worked in the hat shop on the ground floor. "For some days," the newspaper explained, "[the dog] had been prowling about the store premises, and the more cynical had come to regard it as a nuisance." The clerk had taken the dog up onto the roof to keep it out of the way during business hours. But the rebellious stray refused to be contained. "Its vagrant spirit could not be subdued, and the flight to liberty followed."
The dog had climbed out onto the edge of the roof to assess the situation — and upon taking in the view, decided it could make the three-storey jump to the ground below. Then, it made its brave bid for freedom by leaping out into the abyss.
And the gamble paid off. After landing with a thud, the dog hopped right back up on its feet and dashed away past the crowd of startled onlookers. The flying canine of Queen Street rushed off into the distance, free once again, unharmed and undaunted, bound for new adventures.
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Just One Week Left for our Toronto Sports History Exhibit!
The clock is ticking on the Toronto sports history exhibit I co-curated for Myseum. There are now just a few days left before it closes forever! So if you’ve been meaning to check it out, make sure to swing by before Saturday, March 9.
If you are interested, here’s everything you need to know:
Description: We are a city of record breakers, rabble rousers, and game changers. Ride the highs and the lows of Toronto’s sports histories in our latest exhibition. Sports have shaped our city for generations — from infamous bat flips and buzzer-beating three-pointers, to Stanley Cup curses and fairweather fandoms. Whether they bring us together or reflect our divisions, the sports we play tell us a story.
When: It’s open Wednesday–Saturday, 12–6pm, and runs until March 9.
How much: It’s free! (Though donations to Myseum are welcome.)
Where: Myseum of Toronto, which is inside 401 Richmond (right across the hallway from the Spacing Store).
I’ve Got Two Big Upcoming Talks!
THE HIDDEN ROMANTIC HISTORY OF TORONTO ARCHITECTURE
Thursday, March 7 — 6pm || I’ll be part of this year’s annual fundraiser for the Town of York Historical Society and Toronto’s First Post Office. The theme is this year’s event is “Unveiling Toronto's Architectural Tapestry,” so I’ll be sharing some of the unexpected love stories that surround us every day — the passionate affairs, devoted marriages and shocking betrayals of the architects and artists responsible for the construction of some of our grandest buildings.
The event will also include presentations from artist Summer Leigh and architect Alessandro Tersigni, along with a silent auction, a pop-up stationary shop with local vendors, a pop-up art exhibition, and food and drink for sale. It’s being held in the Great Room of St. Lawrence Hall (157 King Street East), which is a spectacularly beautiful space. Learn more.
TORONTO’S FOUNDING DOG & HOW HE ALMOST GOT EATEN
Thursday, March 14 — 7:30pm || I’ll be delivering the 2024 Howland Lecture at Lambton House (4066 Old Dundas Street) for Heritage York. It will be a talk about our city’s founding canine, Jack Sharp, and how the big Newfoundland got himself into some very deep trouble. Learn more.
QUICK LINKS
The best of everything else that’s new in Toronto’s past…
CYBERATTACK NEWS — Some very good news from the Toronto Public Library this week. More than four months after suffering a crippling cyberattack, many of their services have now come back online and “staff are finally putting a million stranded books back on the shelves.” It’s going to make researching the city’s history a heck a lot easier than it has been all winter. Read more.
CHERRY GEM NEWS — The transformation of the Port Lands continues and the new mouth of the Don River is currently filling up. And as it does, it looks like one of the Port Lands’ little historical gems will be protected. The old Bank of Montreal building at the corner of Cherry & Villiers has been standing on that spot for more than 100 years. Toronto City Council has now announced its attention to give the building a heritage designation, which will hopefully mean it’s still around as a whole new neighbourhood springs up around it. Read more.
HORSE HEAD NEWS — The “Signs That Define Toronto” Instagram account shared a nifty post this week: the head of a horse, carved out of sandstone, that seems to have been keeping watch over Bloor Street for more than 130 years. They say the head “was likely part of the original building's construction in 1891/92 [when it was] initially built as a coal store and livery (a stable for boarding or renting horses).” Read more.
TORONTO HISTORY EVENTS
LORNA POPLAK ON TORONTO’S DON JAIL
March 6 — 8pm — Swansea Town Hall & Online — Swansea Historical Society
“Lorna Poplak is a Toronto-based writer, editor, and researcher. She is the author of two award-nominated non-fiction books: — The Don – The Story of Toronto’s Infamous Jail, and Drop Dead – A Horrible History of Hanging in Canada. With these and other publications, Lorna is establishing herself as an authority on the history of crime and punishment in Canada. Her presentation will include many fascinating stories about people associated with the Don Jail – the inmates, the staff, the governors, people who escaped from the Don, and people whose lives ended there at the end of a rope.”
Free, I believe!
THE HISTORY OF THE ARGONAUT ROWING CLUB
March 7 — 7pm — Online & In Person — St. John’s West Toronto — West Toronto Junction Historical Society
“Join us for an extraordinary evening as we uncover the riveting history of the Argonaut Rowing Club, spanning 150 years of passion, perseverance, and glory. Rower/Author Anne Shelton and Author/Rower Dave Lovell will take center stage to reveal the secrets behind the creation of a 150-page book in just seven months. This exclusive event transcends the rowing community, offering a unique glimpse into the fascinating process of research, writing, and publishing that brought the club’s rich legacy to life.
REVOLUTIONARY IMPRESSIONS, STORIES OF TORONTO WOMEN IN EARLY PRINTSHOPS!
March 8–17 — 11am to 4pm daily — Mackenzie House
“In recognition of International Women's Day, a celebration of the stories of women in the Toronto printing industry: from frontline workers, to editors and publishers such as Mary Ann Shadd Cary and Sophia Dalton. Print a souvenir poster and bookmark on the 1845 printing press! Join us at THM this March Break for a captivating and immersive program! Explore and breakthrough the untold stories of women and other communities who have played pivotal roles in shaping the cultural, social, and economic landscape of Toronto through workshops, camps and other events.”
Free!
CARNEGIE LIBRARIES IN ONTARIO: VINTAGE POSTCARDS
March 14 — 2pm — Toronto Reference Library
“Join us for a visual tour of Ontario's Carnegie Libraries through vintage postcards and other ephemera held in the Special Collections Department. The presentation will feature unique materials highlighting the history of Toronto's beautiful Carnegie Branches.”
Free!
TORONTO’S LOST VILLAGES
March 20 — 7pm — The Beaches Sandbox — The Beach & East Toronto Historical Society
Join author, historian and travel writer Ron Brown for a talk about his book, Toronto’s Lost Villages.
Free!
THE LIFE & TIMES OF ALFRED LAFFERTY
March 21 — 7:30pm — Montgomery’s Inn — The Etobicoke Historical Society
“In 1869 Alfred M. Lafferty, M.A., Richmond Hill, was a witness to the marriage of William Denis Lafferty, a black farmer who lived in Etobicoke. Who was the man with the same surname and a university degree? Hilary J. Dawson’s research uncovered the story of the Lafferty family, and the successes, challenges, and tragedies they faced. The Lafferty parents arrived from the United States in the 1830s as freedom-seekers and their two older sons later farmed in Etobicoke. The youngest son, Alfred, won prizes for excellence at both Upper Canada College and the University of Toronto. Alfred M. Lafferty would be the first black High School Principal in the province. Later, he became the first Canadian-born black lawyer in Ontario.”
Free for members; annual memberships cost $25
LANDMARKS OF NORTH TORONTO
March 28 — 7pm — Northern District Library — North Toronto Historical Society
“An illustrated presentation by NTHS member Eli Aaron. Eli is an urban planner with an interest in local history and heritage preservation. He currently serves as vice-chair of the North York Community Preservation Panel.”
A SLICE OF TORONTO HISTORY: HOW ETOBICOKE HELPED POPULARIZE PIZZA 1950–1990
April 18 — 7:30pm — Montgomery’s Inn — Etobicoke Historical Society
“Pizza is far more than its constituent parts of dough, sauce, and cheese; it is used by Alexander Hughes as a lens to explore the history of immigration, business, labour, urbanization, gender, culture, economics, consumption, and food in Toronto. The commodification of pizza, the development of pizza industries, and the culture of consumption in Canada paralleled currents of postwar life in Toronto. How did culture, ethnicity, immigration, and urban economies shape the commodification of pizza, an ethnic food once confined to the food ways of Italian immigrants? And what role did Etobicoke play in shaping the commodification of pizza?”
Free for members; annual memberships at $25
BATTLE OF YORK DAY AT FORT YORK
April 27 — 11am to 4pm — Fort York National Historic Site
“Commemorate the 211th Anniversary of the Battle of York with special tours and demos! Traverse the grounds and delve into stories of the battle that took place on-site, its participants and its impact on the land and peoples. Learn about Indigenous contributions in a battlefield tour, titled ‘The Anishinaabeg Defenders of York.’ Excite your imagination by experiencing historic musket demonstrations, historic kitchen animations, displays and more!”
Free!