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UER Forum > Canada: Ontario > Wendigo Creek: before and after (Viewed 2542 times)
theninjalobster 


Location: Toronto, ON
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 252 likes




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Wendigo Creek: before and after
< on 7/26/2020 6:15 AM >
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Recently I’ve rediscovered my passion for uncovering Toronto’s forgotten landmarks during this awkward period of social distancing. My curiosity with sewers began in high school when my geography teacher would go on and on about the issues with burying creeks and altering watersheds. She used to reference the landscape surrounding our school and explain how the elevation and direction of each street was no mistake, that everything was related to the paths of creeks that once flowed in and around the area. Between 1909 and 1941, the infrastructure in the High Park/West Junction neighbourhood really began to take shape. The two maps below illustrate how the growth of the urban landscape was tethered so intrinsically to the local watersheds.



(for more cool maps, go here: https://ocul.on.ca/topomaps/collection/)

Long before the city of Toronto expanded west and amalgamated Bloor West Village, Wendigo Creek (the smaller creek which borders HP's west edge) flowed undisturbed from the heart of the Junction at Laws and Dundas, down through Clendenan Avenue into High Park. By taking note of the windy streets, tall embankments and fluctuating contours in the neighborhood, it's easy to see the many features which indicate the old path the creek once took.

After going down the rabbit hole, I found lots of interesting stories of how the creek was embedded within the community, and how that legacy remains in subtle ways. In the mid 1800s, David Kennedy had dammed sections of the creek, creating small ponds where salmon would collect for recreational fishing. These were located on the present day Oakview Avenue and Birchview Crescent (on the map above, it can be seen by the two fingers of water sticking up north of bloor).

The third finger of water which branches out to the east eventually became the site of the High Park Mineral Baths, or "The Minnies". These were built by Dr. William J. McCormick and his wife in 1913 along with the estate they purchased and turned into the High Park Sanitarium in 1907. The estate still exists today.

Eventually, around 1910 the decision was made to fill the valley between High Park and Runnymede with dirt, allowing the streetcar tracks to be expanded and paving the way for extensive residential development. To get an idea of how much material was needed to complete the project, included in the gallery is an image which shows the height of the sewer shaft which would eventually find itself buried. Also included are images of the drain being built and buried for the first time (circa, 1913).

Historical photo dump. All images of Bloor under construction are facing west, looking towards the uphill near Runnymede (then called Elizabeth road). The first two show the mineral baths (again, looking southwest) and the estate of 32 Gothic Avenue overlooking HP.








Fast forward a century.

During recent rainfall, the concrete segments of the drain came lose at the outfall, triggering construction. Which the hefty grate gone, it was now possible for me to enter and explore this historic site. The first section only stretches about 30 meters before you find yourself at the bottom of an extremely tall shaft. A series of wet ladders bring you up to the top of a waterfall, where the drain continues as a small RCP under Clendenan and then Glenlake avenues for what seems like a long time.

According to an entry by Angels of the Underground, “after a long, long trip north you reach fairly large storage tanks.” My friend and I endured this very long trip in the back breaker hoping that we’d come across treasure, but at the end of the rainbow we just found some washed up drain scraps in a rusty grate. Devastated, once we saw daylight again, we hopped on our bikes and went searching for the manhole which marked the end of the drain, and eventually found it at the corner of Glenlake and Glendonwynne.

These leaves me with three possibilities: a) the drain in this entry is completely different to the one I stuck my head in (despite the outfall looking, I swear to god, identical) http://aotu.ca/dra...rk-west/index.html, b) construction was done to the storage tanks since the 2000s, although I can't find any evidence online for this, or c) I was supposed to squeeze myself through dog sized pipes which came up at one or two junctions along the way. Anyways, if anyone knows some of the guys who used to post on AOTU, getting into contact with them would be super cool. Need to find out where I went wrong.

Jeez, sorry for the word dump, and the lack of pics


















Kinda rushed through this post, but looking forward to making similar entries of better quality in the future! Below are the sources:

High Park Mineral Baths and Sanitarium: https://losttoront...ark-mineral-baths/ and https://jamesellis...rathcona-school-2/ and https://torontoist...ng-at-the-minnies/

Wendigo and Spring Creeks: https://www.highpa...plore.WendigoCreek

Clendenan construction: https://wtjhs.ca/j...%20are%20for%20the,28th%2C%201914.



[last edit 7/26/2020 6:18 AM by theninjalobster - edited 1 times]

Into the Fray. https://www.ninjalobster.com/
Galasium 


Location: Sonoma County, CA
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 34 likes




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Re: Wendigo Creek: before and after
< Reply # 1 on 7/28/2020 1:53 AM >
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Great details in the write-up! It's always fun to read about the history of these older drains. Nice pics too; multi-level drains are so intriguing.




Freaktography 


Location: Burlington Ontario
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 1878 likes


Freaktography

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Re: Wendigo Creek: before and after
< Reply # 2 on 7/28/2020 2:18 AM >
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That's some great work man, you're one of a rare breed in the hobby and that is a very good thing to be!

Looking more and more forward to things you do!




http://www.freaktography.com
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terapr0 


Location: Sauga City
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 341 likes


www . tohellandback . net

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Re: Wendigo Creek: before and after
< Reply # 3 on 7/29/2020 6:18 PM >
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great shots and research man! Hit me up if you're ever looking for someone to get out draining with. It's been too long and I'm dying to get back underground :p




www.tohellandback.net
C. Enzo 


Location: Southern New England
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 90 likes


got mill?

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Re: Wendigo Creek: before and after
< Reply # 4 on 7/29/2020 10:27 PM >
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Very cool drain, but most of all, great historical context and writeup. This is the kind of content I love seeing here.




I come and go like a comet; we are wanderers.
Reports of our eradication have been somewhat exaggerated.
theninjalobster 


Location: Toronto, ON
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 252 likes




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Re: Wendigo Creek: before and after
< Reply # 5 on 8/4/2020 2:05 PM >
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Posted by C. Enzo
Very cool drain, but most of all, great historical context and writeup. This is the kind of content I love seeing here.


Thanks! Me too, very few things I enjoy doing more. Local history is so frickin interesting.

Posted by terapr0
great shots and research man! Hit me up if you're ever looking for someone to get out draining with. It's been too long and I'm dying to get back underground :p

Will do! Thank you!

Posted by Freaktography
That's some great work man, you're one of a rare breed in the hobby and that is a very good thing to be!

Looking more and more forward to things you do!

<3 too kind man, thank you.

Posted by Galasium
Great details in the write-up! It's always fun to read about the history of these older drains. Nice pics too; multi-level drains are so intriguing.

Totally. Never been in one so disjointed. Almost couldn't believe it when I got to the top of that ladder. Thanks!




Into the Fray. https://www.ninjalobster.com/
Air 


Location: Canada
Total Likes: 65 likes




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Re: Wendigo Creek: before and after
< Reply # 6 on 8/7/2020 2:15 AM >
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great post! I will try to check this out.




"The extraordinary beauty of things that fail." - Heinrich von Kleist
plight 


Location: Bay Area, CA
Total Likes: 108 likes




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Re: Wendigo Creek: before and after
< Reply # 7 on 8/7/2020 2:21 AM >
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Awesome history finding. Its cool to know about the history of the drains, good luck on finding the drains referenced on AOTU, they are definitely out there.




WestOhooligan 


Location: Jersey City
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 19 likes




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Re: Wendigo Creek: before and after
< Reply # 8 on 8/7/2020 7:00 PM >
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That is awesome! Love the history posted as well, give more context. I gotta say, you drainers, cut from a different cloth. Ha!




ignavus 


Location: Tdot
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Re: Wendigo Creek: before and after
< Reply # 9 on 8/12/2020 2:09 PM >
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Posted by theninjalobster
Anyways, if anyone knows some of the guys who used to post on AOTU, getting into contact with them would be super cool. Need to find out where I went wrong.


The reports of [our] death are greatly exaggerated




Angels of the Underground
AOTU.ca
RockNRollWithMe 


Total Likes: 14 likes




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Re: Wendigo Creek: before and after
< Reply # 10 on 9/9/2020 3:46 AM >
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These are the posts that I love.

The history. Taking you back to when things were different.

To today.

Makes one wish they were on your exploration team.

Great post.




I'm a supporter of gay rights. & not a closet supporter either. From the time I was a kid, I've never been able to understand attacks upon the gay community. There are so many qualities that make up a human being. By the time I get through with all the things that I really admire about people, what they do with their private parts is probably so low on the list that it is irrelevant. - Paul Newman
unlighted-zero 


Location: Hamilton, ON
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 68 likes


havin a time

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Re: Wendigo Creek: before and after
< Reply # 11 on 9/10/2020 3:28 AM >
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really interesting graf at the end and a cool drain overall.




/flail it til ya nail it
theninjalobster 


Location: Toronto, ON
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 252 likes




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Re: Wendigo Creek: before and after
< Reply # 12 on 10/23/2020 4:46 PM >
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Posted by Air
great post! I will try to check this out.

Thanks! Absolutely worth it, I wonder if they've finished work yet. If they slap a grate back on, you'll have to find the manhole in a driveway at the foot of Clendenan!

Posted by plight
Awesome history finding. Its cool to know about the history of the drains, good luck on finding the drains referenced on AOTU, they are definitely out there.

I did manage to get ahold of one of them! Still need to make a return trip and find the tanks though.

Posted by WestOhooligan
That is awesome! Love the history posted as well, give more context. I gotta say, you drainers, cut from a different cloth. Ha!

Not a drainer...not yet Cheers!

Posted by ignavus

The reports of [our] death are greatly exaggerated

Hahaha, oh man... this made me laugh.



Posted by RockNRollWithMe
These are the posts that I love.

Makes one wish they were on your exploration team.

Many thanks, yea seeing before and after is what its all about. Always pushes me to find some really great blogs too that do a good job keeping online records of this kind of stuff.

Posted by unlighted-zero
really interesting graf at the end and a cool drain overall.

Indeed, I love how it illustrates the enormous degree to which the landscape was changed to make way for residential development. Not something we often think about.




Into the Fray. https://www.ninjalobster.com/
samw1seg 


Location: Ontario
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 31 likes


Dream.. But Don't Sleep

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Re: Wendigo Creek: before and after
< Reply # 13 on 10/24/2020 5:32 PM >
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Really cool info and photos. I love the self portrait.. if it is in fact a *self* portrait. Either way, great post!




theninjalobster 


Location: Toronto, ON
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 252 likes




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Re: Wendigo Creek: before and after
< Reply # 14 on 10/25/2020 7:56 PM >
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Posted by samw1seg
Really cool info and photos. I love the self portrait.. if it is in fact a *self* portrait. Either way, great post!

*Self* portrait indeed, thank you!!




Into the Fray. https://www.ninjalobster.com/
Urban Downfall 


Location: Montréal - Qc
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Re: Wendigo Creek: before and after
< Reply # 15 on 10/25/2020 8:15 PM >
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Hey very cool stuff and history man, keep it up, very interesting




Il y a toujours un moyen.
Ground State 


Location: Ontario, Canada
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Re: Wendigo Creek: before and after
< Reply # 16 on 11/21/2020 7:20 PM >
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Phenomenal post!
The then-and-now aspects always make for such an interesting read.




If you're seeing this here on UER, please let me 'Follow' your work on Flickr: https://www.flickr...otos/91808861@N04/
theninjalobster 


Location: Toronto, ON
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 252 likes




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Re: Wendigo Creek: before and after
< Reply # 17 on 11/22/2020 7:41 PM >
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Posted by ClementRSedona
Hey very cool stuff and history man, keep it up, very interesting

Thank you sir!

Posted by Ground State

Phenomenal post!
The then-and-now aspects always make for such an interesting read.


I agree, I gotta get better at blending the two together though. I'll work on some better ones soon!

Thanks!




Into the Fray. https://www.ninjalobster.com/
Mr. Nosey 


Gender: Male
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Re: Wendigo Creek: before and after
< Reply # 18 on 2/2/2021 10:54 PM >
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Posted by theninjalobster

Thank you sir!


I agree, I gotta get better at blending the two together though. I'll work on some better ones soon!

Thanks!


This has nothing to do with the content of the thread but rather the title. Every time I read Wendigo Creek, I see Wendel Clark. I love that guy!




UER Forum > Canada: Ontario > Wendigo Creek: before and after (Viewed 2542 times)


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