The Greatest Fiery Spectacle Ever Presented For Public Amusement
Plus my first new online course in ages, our rampaging cow tours returns, and more...
They began arriving after dark on that summer night, first by the hundreds and then by the thousands. They gathered along the shores of Sunnyside in droves. Some sat on the beach or stood next to the boardwalk. Others climbed the hillsides of High Park to get a good view out over Humber Bay or watched from the windows of nearby apartment buildings. Some even paddled out onto the black water in their canoes. Hour after hour, they kept coming. Before long, reporters guessed there were 200,000 of them.
They were all waiting for midnight. That's when the fireworks would start and the ship would burn.
The Julia B. Merrill was one of the oldest sailing ships left on the Great Lakes, a relic from a bygone age. It had been built in the 1870s and began by sailing Lake Michigan and Georgian Bay, carrying grain and lumber between Chicago and Collingwood — which was, in turn, connected to Toronto by our city's oldest railroad. The schooner had served for nearly sixty years, but was now at the end of its working life. It finished its career by hauling coal across Lake Ontario, though at least one source suggests it was also used by rum runners smuggling booze into the United States. By then, it was in rough shape: covered in grime and coal dust, the sails a patchwork of repairs. When the schooner was finally retired, it sat quietly in the harbour at Port Hope, alone except for a night watchman and the children who'd occasionally visit that guard to hear stories of his younger days sailing the lakes.
For a while, it wasn't clear what would happen to the old boat. But then, an odd opportunity presented itself. The Julia B. Merrill was sold to an unexpected buyer: the Sunnyside Amusement Park.
This was in 1931. For about a decade now, the shores of Humber Bay had been one of Toronto's most popular entertainment destinations. People flocked to the sandy beaches by day, or enjoyed the new bathing pavilion and swimming pool, and then danced away their nights at the jazz clubs lining the boardwalk — places like the Palais Royale, which still stands there today. The amusement park was one of the area's biggest draws, with a roller coaster and merry-go-rounds, midway games and refreshment stands. The park had always offered unusual attractions, like flagpole-sitters, escape artists and dancing bears. And now, with the Great Depression at its height, people were especially eager for weird distractions. That summer, Sunnyside would play host to everything from a lion tamer to a baby-carriage-decorating competition.
But the Julia B. Merrill would provide the strangest attraction of all. It was bought by the amusement park so it could be brought to Toronto and then set ablaze, billed as "The Greatest Fiery Spectacle Ever Presented For Public Amusement Here Or Anywhere Else."
And so, one June day, the schooner set sail for the last time, given a bittersweet send-off by the people of Port Hope. "Many citizens lined the wharf," according to The Toronto Daily Star, "as the Merrill […] quietly sailed out of the harbor and headed westward into the setting sun. It seemed a fitting tribute that the schooner, representing a fine, clean and high tradition, should leave the harbor for the last time her trim lines bathed in golden sunlight."
Many people were sad to see it go. There was plenty of debate over the fate of the vessel, both in Port Hope and in Toronto. Some wanted the ship preserved as one of the last of its kind, an historical artifact from the days when great sailing ships plied the Great Lakes. "When she burns at her moorings at Sunnyside," one letter to the editor complained, "the last link in the transition between sail and steam will have disappeared, as far as the waters of Toronto are concerned. Is not this a tragedy? Would it not be a gracious thing, if the present owners of this vessel would present it to our city, and so refit her that perhaps for fifty years she might float in our city waters and as a witness and testimony to the brave men and ships of the days gone by?"
Others disagreed. “One can become attached to an automobile or a boat,” an editorial in The Star argued. “But when these things have had their day and served the purpose for which they were created they should be discarded for something better. They clutter up the ground when they cease to be useful.” The writer didn't stop there, suggesting that being set alight is what the boat would have wanted. “Those who plead that the vessel be spared a fiery fate speak of the soul of the vessel. As though any self-respecting ship would not rather pass out in a blaze of glory, giving pleasure to tens of thousands of people, than rot, neglected and an eyesore, at an abandoned wharf.”
So, the plan went ahead. The ship was taken to Sunnyside, where it sat just inside the breakwater for a few weeks. Hundreds of people came to see it every day. It was even used as a stage for a live performance of a radio show as the date of the burning drew near.
But the ship wouldn't go easily. When the day of the blaze arrived, the Julia B. Merrill put up a fight.
In order to ensure the spectacle was held at a safe distance from the crowds, the organizers needed to move the vessel outside the breakwater. A tugboat was supposed to pull the ship out into the lake. But the Julia B wouldn’t go. As the gasoline-powered tug puffed and growled and strained against the ropes, the bow of the great old ship swung out just a few feet from the seawall and refused to move any further, settling back against it when the effort failed. A second crew was sent out in a sailboat, given their own ropes to pull, but even with their help the big ship just wouldn’t move.
The Julia B was simply too heavy. It had been prepared for the spectacle, piled high with fuel for the blaze: empty barrels, scraps of wood, and shavings. So now it was so weighed down they couldn’t move it. They were forced to unload a lot of that incendiary cargo before the tug was finally able to drag the old ship out into Humber Bay. The schooner was left about half a kilometre from shore, ready for the torch that would set it alight.
But then, the weather turned. The sky grew dull and grey. The wind picked up. It began to rain. And given the wet conditions, the bonfire would have to wait for another night.
The Julia B. Merrill would survive over the weekend, enough time for hundreds more to visit the relic. But the reprieve wouldn't last long. What The Star described as "the jazz-mad cravings of a sensation-loving age" would not be denied. Four days after the first attempt, the ship would finally burn.
It began at the stroke of midnight. As an opening act, a barrage of fireworks lit up the night sky for at least ten minutes — a cavalcade of colour and cacophony of sound. Then the ship itself was set alight. The whole schooner had been soaked in oil and doused with gunpowder, with fuses threaded through the hulk. So, it went up quick. "Sirens screamed as the flames licked and soared above the oil-soaked hull," The Star reported, "and climbed […] along the decks. Sheets of flame spread where white sails had been unfurled. The fire crept from stem to stern."
Before long, the entire ship was a blinding blaze of light. The raging fire was reflected in the dark waters of the bay, lighting up the billowing smoke that rose above it and illuminating the faces of those who watched. People thronged the waterfront by the thousands. They had come from all over the city and beyond, many of them visitors from Port Hope who wanted to see their beloved ship one last time. The crowds stretched all the way around Humber Bay — from the Exhibition Grounds in the east far beyond the mouth of the Humber River in the west. And what they saw that night must surely have been one of the most memorable sights ever witnessed on the waters of Lake Ontario.
The Julia B. Merrill burned and burned. It was twenty minutes before the centre mast came crashing down into the water, bringing the rigging with it. Many people took that as their signal to head home. But even as they climbed into their cars and sat in the traffic jams that spread out in every direction, the ship could still be seen burning on the water.
As far as the amusement park was concerned, the event had been a roaring success. And so, it wasn't the last time they burned a ship at Sunnyside. Just a few years later, they brought the Lyman M. Davis to Toronto. That schooner had once been celebrated as the fastest on the Great Lakes and ended up working alongside the Julia B. Merrill hauling coal across the border. With the Merrill gone, it was thought to be the very last sailing ship left working anywhere on our lake.
When the plans to burn it were announced, even more voices called for it to be preserved; the campaign to save it was led by the mayor of Toronto himself. The fight carried on for a year, but in the end, it was all in vain. The jazz-mad cravings won out once again. The precious rarity of the ship was used as a marketing pitch: organizers billed the event as "the only remaining chance to see a large ship burning in the night."
The Lyman M. Davis was torched in the summer of 1934. This time, a quarter of a million people are said to have watched. When the spectacle was over, what was left of the old schooner was dragged out to a spot a couple of kilometres off shore. The ship was stubbornly well-built. It took a stick of dynamite to finish it off and send it sinking to the bottom of the lake.
It's still down there today. So is the Julia B. Merrill. Both of the old ships are still resting on the lakebed 150 years after they first set sail. The Davis is pretty deep; forty metres beneath the surface. But the Merrill is much closer to shore. To visit the old schooner today, you'll need to get your hands on some diving equipment, apply for the necessary permit from the Toronto Harbourmaster, and alert the Police Marine Unit of your plans. You'll have to head out to the middle of Humber Bay and slip into the cold water. And as you descend into the silty-green depths, the outline of a hull will appear. It will be covered by mussels, broken into pieces, barely recognizable at all. But you'll have laid eyes on a sight few have seen since the night the Julia B. Merrill burned: one of the last precious reminders of the bygone age when great sailing ships rode the waves of Lake Ontario.
You can check out photos of the wreck of the Julia B. Merrill thanks to the divers who have made that descent: Tyler Caughill has posted some here and Warren Lo here.
And if you’d like some more strange and fascinating stories from summers past…
A Scorching Hot History of Summer in Toronto
I’m very excited to announce my first new online course in a year!
Canada might be famous for its winters, but Toronto comes alive when the weather gets warm. Our city was once billed as "the most delightful summer city" on the continent. And those few hot months between Victoria Day and the CNE have had a profound impact on this place: from heated legal battles over skinny dipping to the legacy of killer summer storms to the joyful festivals that have reflected the changing face of the city over the last two hundred years. And so, in this online course we'll spend four nights exploring some of the most fascinating, most revealing and weirdest stories from the history of summers in Toronto.
The course will kick off on the night of Thursday, June 27. And if you’re interested but concerned you might have to miss some classes, don’t worry — all the lectures will be recorded and posted to a private YouTube playlist so you can watch them whenever you like. Oh, and paid subscribers to the newsletter get 10% off!
The Toronto History Weekly needs your help! The number of paid subscriptions has been slipping over the last few weeks. And since this newsletter involves a ton of work every week, it’s only by growing the number of paid subscriptions that I’ll be able to continue doing it. Thank you so, so much to everyone who already has — and if you’d to make the switch yourself, you can do it by clicking right here:
Our Rampaging Cow Tour Is Back!
One June morning in 1913, a cow escaped from her owner in downtown Toronto and went on a rampage through the heart of the city. She raced up Spadina Avenue, startled crowds of church-goes, and left chaos in her wake wherever she went.
Jamie Bradburn wrote a wonderful article about that cow’s adventure for Torontoist years ago — and I’ve been a huge fan of the story every since. So last year, we teamed up to create a walking tour that follows in the cow’s hoofprints as we explore the history of Edwardian Toronto. And this year, for the 111th anniversary of this bizarre bovine escapade, we’re bringing the tour back!
When: Saturday, June 15 at 3pm.
Where: Meet in Victoria Memorial Square — at Wellington & Portland. The tour will last about 2 to 2.5 hours and end in the Annex.
Price: Pay what you can.
A Strange & Grisly Wedding Anniversary
There was a time in our city’s history when on May 31st of every year, you’d have been able to find one of the most powerful politicians in Canadian history wandering the streets of Toronto like a ghost. It’s one my favourite stories to tell: the deeply strange tale of Robert Baldwin, his heartbreaking romance, and his gruesome grave. I’ve been looking forward to this week so I could share it on my Weird Toronto History radio segment — which is exactly what I did:
Weird Toronto History airs every Tuesday afternoon at 3:20pm on Newstalk 1010.
QUICK LINKS
The best of everything else that’s new in Toronto’s past…
THREATENED BOOKSHOP NEWS — The world’s oldest LGBTQ+ bookstore, the Glad Day Bookshop, announced it was facing eviction last week. But community supporters have already rallied to save it. The fundraiser continues, however, in an effort to secure its future. Read more.
BIRDCAGE BOX OFFICE NEWS — The old box office that used to stand at the entrance to the Elgin & Winter Garden Theatres has disappeared — leading to worries on Twitter that it was gone for good. It sounds, however, like its being replaced by a new box office in an older style, more closely resembling the original that stood on the spot when the theatres first opened back in 1913. Read more.
INNOCENCE NEWS — If you tuned into to our “Night of Strange & Shocking Murders” during The Festival of Bizarre Toronto History, then you heard author Nate Hendley talk a little bit about Ron Moffatt. Moffatt was falsely accused of murder by Toronto police back in the 1950s, when he was just 14 years old. The crime was later proven to have been committed by the notorious serial killer Peter Woodcock; Moffatt’s named was cleared. Sadly, he passed away last month at the age of 82. Hendley paid tribute to him for Sootoday.com. Read more.
TENT CITY NEWS — Hendley also wrote a new piece for TVO last week, reminding us that the current encampment at the University of Toronto isn’t its first. Back in the 1970s, tent cities were set up on the U of T campus and on the grounds of a former prison in what’s now Liberty Village — funded by the federal government as a way to provide shelter for youth. Read more.
REGENT PARK NEWS — Jack Landau writes that after more than 75 years, “the final blocks constructed in the late 1940s for what was Canada's largest and most notorious social housing project are now being demolished.” Read more.
SILVER SCREEN NEWS — Chris Dupuis takes a look back at Winter Kept Us Warm — the ground-breaking gay film that became “the first fictional Anglo-Canadian feature to screen at the Cannes Film Festival.” Read more.
BACKSTAGE NEWS — Bud Stage (formerly the Molson Amphitheatre) is kicking off its 30th summer this season, so Karen Bliss and Stuart Berman “asked performers and staff for their best, wildest, most indelible memories of the amphitheatre by the lake.” Read more.
TORONTO HISTORY EVENTS
JUNCTION HERITAGE THEN & NOW: PLANNING TO PRESERVE THE JUNCTION
June 6 — 7pm — Online & St. John’s West Toronto Anglican Church — West Toronto Junction Historical Society
“Once a separate city before merging with Toronto in 1909, the Junction boasts numerous heritage resources that chronicle its development. The Junction Heritage Conservation District (JHCD) organization is collaborating with the City of Toronto to protect Dundas Street West under the Ontario Heritage Act. This event will shed light on our ongoing initiatives to promote heritage conservation in the area.”
Free!
COULD THE HUMBER RIVER HAVE BECOME BRÛLÉ LAKE?
June 8 — 1:30pm — Walking tour: Meet at 8 South Kingsway — Swansea Historical Society
“In 1929, a coalition of amateur sports leaders called for the creation of a grand rowing regatta course on the lower Humber River between Bloor Street and Lake Ontario. Had it happened, the largely natural river we experience today would have been transformed into a two kilometre-long recreational area with significant implications for local development as well as the environment and future natural disasters including Hurricane Hazel. This walk will explore the story of “Brûlé Lake” by walking the length of the course. We will explore how it almost came to be, what it could have meant, why the effort failed, and how the saga could be viewed as symbolic of the end of the predominance of amateur sports in favour of professional sports in Toronto.”
Free with registration!
THE BEACHES: CREATION OF A TORONTO NEIGHBOURHOOD
June 12 — 7:30pm — Beaches Sandbox — The Beach and East Toronto Historical Society
“Author and historian Richard White on his just-published history of the neighbourhood.”
Free!
THE HUMBER: TIME TRAVEL THROUGH PICTURES
June 13 — 7:30pm — Lambton House — Heritage York
Explore the pictorial history of the Humber River with David Wallace in this talk at historic Lambton House presented by Heritage York.
Free, I believe!
ON THE EDGE OF A CITY WALKING TOUR
June 15 — 10:30am — Meet at St. James Cathedral — Town of York Historical Society
“Imagine a Toronto where the tallest building is only three stories high, where Lake Ontario reaches Front Street, where the wagon wheels grind through the muddy roads, the air smells of smoke and animal, and the surrounding lands is farms, fields, and forests. This was what the neighbourhood looked like in the early 1800s. In this walking tour, explore the surviving built environment of the original 10 blocks of Toronto and discover how the Town of York, which started with a population of a couple hundred residents, became the City of Toronto in 1834, with a population of just under 10,000.”
$22.63 for non-members; $17.31 for members.
ANNE POWERS: ON THE PATH TO JONI MITCHELL
June 17 — 7pm — Toronto Reference Library
“Joni Mitchell has spellbound listeners for decades as one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the Folk music scene of the 1960s, and her musical legacy left a loud imprint on musicians, fans and storytellers of all walks of life. In Traveling, Ann Powers brings her honed skills as a music biographer to trace the story of Joni from rural Canada to her ultimate International stardom and her recent triumphant comeback after the aneurysm that nearly took her life. And along the way, Powers delivers a new type of music biography that contradicts the traditional idea that a fan can ever truly and deeply know their musical icons.”
Free!
TERROR IN THE TOWN OF YORK WALKING TOUR
June 28 — 10:30am — Meet at St. James Cathedral — Town of York Historical Society
“Imagine a Toronto where the tallest building is only three stories high, where Lake Ontario reaches Front Street, where the wagon wheels grind through the muddy roads, the air smells of smoke and animal, and the surrounding lands is farms, fields, and forests. This was what the neighbourhood looked like in the early 1800s. In this walking tour, join us as we explore the beginnings of the area that would become the Town of York, the events leading up to the War of 1812, the Battle of York, and its aftermath while we walk the original 10 blocks of the early city.”
$22.63 for non-members; $17.31 for members.
TRIBUTE TO NATION BUILDERS CEREMONY
July 1 — 10:30am — Chinese Railroad Workers Memorial — The Foundation to Commemorate the Chinese Railroad Workers
“Join us, in their honour, and listen to the history from the descendants of the Chinese Railway Workers and be a part of this historic milestone.”
Free!
TORONTO GONE WILD
Until August 3 — Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm to 4pm — Museum of Toronto
“Toronto Gone Wild explores the city as a multi-layered habitat — starring the animals, plants, and insects that call Toronto home. Venture through different Torontonian terrains from city streets to burrows, hives, and nests, all seamlessly woven together in our downtown exhibition space. You’ll emerge with a renewed appreciation for the interconnectedness of life in the city.”
Free!
THE TORONTO HISTORY LECTURE: REBUILDING THE BODY IN WWI TORONTO
August 6 — 7:30pm — Online — Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society
“At the end of the First World War, wounded soldiers were coming home in huge numbers, and the country was scrambling for space to treat them all. By 1919, the Christie Street Hospital opened in a renovated cash register factory. Kristen den Hartog’s 2024 Toronto History Lecture gives us a glimpse of this fascinating place, of its diverse group of patients and staff, and the role it played in Toronto’s rich history.”
Free with registration!
HERITAGE TORONTO WALKING TOURS
Until October
“Through our events, including tours, community discussions, the Heritage Toronto Awards, and more, Heritage Toronto engages the public to reflect on the city’s heritage.”
Usually $9.85