Short Jaunt: Woodbine Beach & Park

[waves sound]

Picture this

It’s a hot summer day. You’re lying on a beach towel, or maybe some sort of beach chair. You just got out of the water and you’re drying off in the sun . Maybe you’re reading, maybe you’re napping, maybe you’re staring at the horizon line of the water, thinking about how it’s a lake and not the ocean.

Have you ever thought about why we do this? Did Toronto always use beaches in this way?

Today we’re going to learn about the history of Woodbine Beach and the neighbouring Woodbine Park. Let’s start at the park. Hi, I’m Ashley, host of walking in place. If you’re new here, I’ve included ambiance recorded at both locations so you can feel like you’re there, even if you aren’t. Those wave sounds- those were actually lake Ontario.

If you are at the park, feel free to meander, eventually working your way to the south east corner of the park. Make sure to check out the fountain and some of the paths surrounding it- there are lots of little boardwalks shaded by trees and lined with flowers and tall grass. I also saw a ton of rambunctious birds, if you’re into that.

Let’s start with the history of the area. As with much of Toronto, this was a forested area up until the beach, which I’m pretty sure is actually a naturally formed beach, unlike the rest of the waterfront area from this point westwards.

When settlers came in and started divvying up lots of land, this area was given to Charles Coxwell Small, the youngest son of Major John Small. His property spanned west to east from Coxwell to Woodbine Ave, and north to south from Danforth to the beach.

This particular piece of land, and the land that stretches from here to Woodbine ave, was the site of the Woodbine Horse Racing track when it was opened in 1881 by the Ontario Jockey Club. Over time, as popularity for horse racing -and gambling, essentially- grew, it came to be known as Old Woodbine to differentiate it from other racetracks in the GTA. Woodbine Ave is named after the racetrack.

In terms of where the word “Woodbine” even comes from, the most I could find was that one of the initial owners, William J. Howell, owned a tavern called “The Woodbine” and I guess he loved the name so much he used it for the racetrack as well.

In 1963 its name changed to the Greenwood Raceway- I couldn’t find a definitive reason why, I’m assuming because of its proximity to Greenwood Ave., a major street nearby, which was named after Mr. Greenwood who lived at Queen and Greenwood. He owned a hotel.

The facility was called the Greenwood Raceway until it closed in 1993. Then it became this beautiful park, which has wetlands, meadows and an amphitheater.

While the horses went to Woodbine’s other properties, a betting facility stayed at the southwest corner of King and Kingston. It’s now a concert venue. In terms of horse racing, now all that’s left behind are a couple street names: Winners Circle, and Northern Dancer, which we’ll be walking down soon (If you haven’t already) to get to the beach. Northern Dancer was a superstar horse.

Let’s focus in on horse racing itself for a sec. In my opinion… it’s icky. Not necessarily because of the gambling, but because of the horses, who I’m sure have NOT been treated very nicely in the history of the… game? Practice? But it’s not surprising that it was a big thing here, and still is around (there are active horse racing facilities owned by Woodbine in Etobicoke and Mississauga). If you haven’t guessed already, it’s a very British thing, and a very glamourous high-status thing. Which you probably already know if you’ve seen The Crown or Pretty Woman. In England (and a couple times, right here in this park) the biggest events are attended by the Queen and her family. In Toronto, the biggest horse racing event of the year is literally called The Queen’s Plate.

Let’s officially walk south down Northern Dancer (or dance, if you want?) towards the beach.

Until the 50s, Woodbine Beach and the Woodbine Beach Park area (the strips of trees and grass between the beach and the parking lot) were not used for swimming- it was a forested area called “The Cut”. I couldn’t find an answer for why it had this nickname- from what I read it’s supposed to have something to do with the fact that area was very forest-y- is it because people cut trees for wood? Did the community think they were a cut above the rest? Was it famous for a grisly murder? I truly don’t know.  

In the 50s, Lake Shore Blvd was extended to Woodbine Avenue, making it easier for the rest of the city to come this way and enjoy Beaches Park just east of here- and for that reason, Woodbine beach officially became a public beach. Though technically Woodbine still connected to Beaches Park when it was formed in 1932. So I bet locals still snuck over here to swim anyway in the 30s and 40s.

When it opened in 1932, Beaches Park connected all the shoreline areas from Nursewood rd. to Woodbine Avenue. Those beaches are called Silver Birch Beach and Kew-Balmy Beach. It was that year that they opened a boardwalk through the park, which we still use today.

The Beaches neighbourhood will be a topic for another day.

Let’s get back into that beach mindset. When did we start lounging around half-naked on the sand?

Prior to the 1920s, at least in the British Empire and a lot of Europe, it was the norm to protect yourself from the sun. Being pale was a status symbol, because the only tanned people were labourers who had no choice but to be outside in the sun. In the early 1900s things started to shift slowly, with doctors recommending sun exposure to cure several diseases and deficiencies, such as rickets. But in terms of tanned skin becoming fashionable? Apparently that credit goes to Coco Chanel and Josephine Baker.  Coco accidentally got a sunburn in the French Riviera, and when she came back to Paris people noticed her tan lines and liked the look. It was also around this time that Josephine Baker, a Black dancer, singer and was super famous, and people wanted to look like her.

Swimming itself has of course been part of the human experience forever - there are even ancient Egyptian drawing of different swimming techniques. From what I read, it was seen mostly as utilitarian at first, then for a long time a sport. In Toronto, for example, swim clubs started being formed in the mid-late 1800s.

Most of what I just said is pretty specific to white people in the 1900s. Many parts of Canada still had segregated beaches and leisure facilities well into the 1950s, maybe even later. In Ontario, it became illegal under the 1954 Fair Accommodation Practice Act of Ontario, which prohibited the denial of services or facilities to anyone that were intended to serve the public. But just because a law comes into place, doesn’t mean people’s behaviour changed right away, so anyone who wasn’t white probably didn’t feel super welcome at all Ontario beaches for a very long time. It’s also well-documented how segregation and systemic racism removed or reduced opportunities for non-white and especially Black people to access swimming pools and lessons, so the ability to safely and confidently swim in the lake was much more common amongst white Torontonians. While a lot more research has been done on this in the States, it affected Canadian communities as well.

That’s where we’ll leave it today. Thank you so much for listening.

If you liked this episode and want to learn more about the Woodbine Beach area, I’ll be releasing extra stops and info on my Patreon page at patreon.com/walkinginplace. Check it out!

Also if you feel inclined to rate and review, that would be awesome. Someone with the username “Annskers” left a really kind review recently and it made my day!

I hope you enjoy the summer weather on this beach or any beach really. Until next time!