Don River

Don River

The Don River is formed from two rivers, the West and the East branches. These branches meet about 4 miles north of Lake Ontario. The river is joined then by a third branch, Taylor-Massey Creek. The area below the confluence is known as the lower Don. The Don River then empties into Lake Ontario, at Toronto Bay. Its total length is of about 38 miles.

There is little archaeological evidence in the Don valley, but the most significant recorded find is known as the Withrow Site, discovered in 1886.

In 1788, Alexander Aitkin, an English surveyor who worked in southern Ontario, referred to the Don River as Ne cheng qua kekonk. Another name used was Wonscotanach.

After the founding of York (Toronto) in 1793, several mills were constructed along the lower Don. One of the first was at Todmorden Mills. By the 1850s, the Lower Don was becoming an industrial setting. Petroleum storage facilities, poultry and pork processing plants were constructed along the banks of the Don. In 1879, the Don Valley Brick Works opened.

Don River. Photo by Elena

In the 1950s and early 1960s, the Don Valley Parkway (DVP) was constructed through the Lower Don to serve the commuter traffic. Two hills within the Don valley were levelled and the soil used for grading the highway. Increasing development reduced the natural areas of the watershed. This impacted the Don with increased pollution, heavy flooding, and turbid sediment laden waters.

Efforts to restore the Don gathered steam in 1989 with a public forum at the Ontario Science Centre. The result was the formation of the Task Force to Bring Back the Don, a citizen’s advisory body to Toronto City Council. In 1991 Bring Back the Don released a document called Bringing Back the Don which laid out plans for restoration, including a re-naturalized mouth of the Don. In 1998 a plan to revive Toronto’s waterfront was initiated.

Don Valley meadow. Photo by Elena

The Don Valley is notable because of its deep wide valley in the lower reaches. At the Bloor Street Viaduct, the valley is about 400 m wide while the river is only about 15 m wide. This is due to its glacial origins, about 12,000 years ago at the end of the Wisconsinan Glaciation. The Don Valley contains thus one of the most interesting locations for studying the regional geological history.

The Don Valley Brick Works was an old brick making factory with a quarry where they extracted shale. At the rear wall, local geologists discovered a record of the past three glaciations. There are nine distinct layers visible dating back 120,000 years.

Mud Creek. Photo by Elena