1837 Hawkins: Toronto Military Reserve [Feb. 1837]

Starting in 1833, Sir John Colborne oversaw a major expansion westward of the city, with the sale of over 200 acres of the Military Reserve adjoining Fort York east of Garrison Creek, in order to fund the construction of a new fort. The following, final official plan for the area documents the result of that process, and is packed with the names of lot owners and corresponding lot numbers.Click the image to view a full-size version (PDF). 

Toronto Military Reserve. Resurvey by Wm Hawkins Dy. Surveyor. By order of His Excellency Sir Francis B. Head Lieut. Governor U. Canada &c &c &c as laid out in Town Lots on the east of the Ravine. [Sgd] To the Honble John Macaulay Surveyor General &c &c &c Toronto William Hawkins Dy Surveyor Toronto 18th Feby 1837 [Certified and sgd] R.H. Bonnycastle Captn Royal Engineers Western District U.C. 21st Feby 1837Source: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Office of the Surveyor General: 348-H24© 2013 Queens Printer OntarioWinearls, MUC no. 2064 (15)See the 1797 Smith Plan for the enlargement of York for the previous major town expansion.

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Explore Toronto's past through maps...

Featuring simple and free access to a broad selection of notable historical maps of Toronto, this site aims to generate curiosity, and to serve as an easy entry point for discovery and further investigation.

1818 Lieut. G. Phillpotts: Plan of York

How did ‘Muddy York’ develop into the modern metropolis we live in?These important maps from our past reveal the essential tension of this city — between the quest for growth, and the heavy influence of what came before. They reflect a municipality in constant flux, and give insight into our contemporary urban identity.And besides, who doesn’t love poring over old maps of Toronto?- Nathan Ng, April 2013.Start your exploration—complete list of mapsMore about this project...

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1852 Liddy: [I]ncorporated Village of Yorkville in the County of York and Province of Canada

“The generous limits of Yorkville at incorporation show that the boom mentality prevailed even in a village so small that its urban landowners could all be listed on the sides of the map. Different patterns of transitional subdivision are evident along Yonge Street and Avenue Road to the west; these patterns had already begun to determine the location of urban streets.The map, although somewhat resembling folk-art in the representation of the trees and the brickyard, shows the influence of the British Ordnance Survey in the patterning of fields. Note the early idea for a rectangular plan in part of the Rosedale estate (right centre), soon to be superseded by a dramatically different plan.”

- Isobel Ganton & Joan Winearls, MAPPING TORONTO'S FIRST CENTURY 1787-1884

Click the image to view a full-size version (PDF, 3MB). 

[I]ncorporated Village of Yorkville in the County of York and Province of Canada. Drawn from an actual Survey by G.P. Liddy Late of the Engineering Department of the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain and Ireland. Provincial Land Surveyor, Civil Engineer etc. [Sgd] Geo. P. L[iddy]Source: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Office of the Surveyor General: SR7017Copyright:  2013 Queens Printer OntarioWinearls, MUC no. 2091Yorkville was incorporated January 1, 1853.

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