Archive for 'David Wencer'

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Historicist: A House Fit for a Lieutenant-Governor

Before there was Chorley Park, there was Government House on Simcoe Street.

By David Wencer Mar. 26th, 12:00 pm

Historicist: Clap for the Wolf Man

Eccentric trapper Joe LaFlamme brings wild animals to Toronto.

By David Wencer Feb. 27th, 12:30 pm

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Historicist: Get Rid of Those Sideburns!

In the late 1960s, Toronto the Good finds itself in a hairy situation.

By David Wencer Jan. 31st, 12:00 pm

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Historicist: Challenging Times at Brockton Town Hall

The village of Brockton struggles with the responsibilities of running an independent municipality.

By David Wencer Dec. 5th, 12:30 pm

Historicist: November 11, 1919

Toronto celebrates the first anniversary of the armistice.

By David Wencer Nov. 7th, 12:30 pm

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Historicist: Hats off to Howley and his Hustling Horde

The Toronto Maple Leafs win the International League pennant and play in the 1926 Little World Series.

By David Wencer Oct. 10th, 12:00 pm

Historicist: Should Men Have the Vote?

Suffragists in Ontario struggled to bring attention to their cause, even holding a mock parliament in 1896 on the question of voting rights for men.

By David Wencer Sep. 12th, 12:30 pm

11 Comments

Historicist: The Right Side of History

The regulations for pedestrians in Toronto’s 1944 traffic bylaw make the city a national laughingstock.

By David Wencer Aug. 15th, 12:30 pm

Historicist: Patrick Macnee, Before the Bowler

A budding star finds opportunities on stage and screen in 1950s Toronto.

By David Wencer Jul. 18th, 12:00 pm

Historicist: The Village of Teiaiagon

The Five Nations of the Iroquois establish villages on the north shore of Lake Ontario in the 1670s, including one near the mouth of the Humber River, at the start of the Toronto Carrying Place.

By David Wencer Jun. 20th, 12:00 pm

Historicist: Toronto’s Dentist Mayor

Dr. Frederick L. Conboy's career as a dentist and public-health advocate leads to four years in the mayor's chair.

By David Wencer Apr. 25th, 12:00 pm

Historicist: Sticky Business

The Peter R. Lamb and Co. glue factory generates a big stink.

By David Wencer Mar. 28th, 12:00 pm

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Historicist: The Tabor Hill Ossuary

The bones of 500 First Nations people are found in a centuries-old Scarborough burial pit.

By David Wencer Feb. 28th, 12:00 pm

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Historicist: Learning the Writer’s Craft

Before finding fame for his tales of the supernatural, a young Algernon Blackwood struggled to find success in Toronto.

By David Wencer Jan. 31st, 12:00 pm

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Historicist: The Grenadier Ice Company

In the days before artificial refrigeration, Torontonians harvested ice from local natural sources—including Grenadier Pond.

By David Wencer Jan. 3rd, 12:00 pm

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Historicist: Here Comes the Equestrian Statue

Toronto erects a statue of King Edward VII—in 1969.

By David Wencer Dec. 6th, 12:00 pm

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Historicist: Colonel Rankin’s Lancers

Colonel Arthur Rankin is arrested at the Rossin House Hotel for inviting Canadians to the American Civil War.

By David Wencer Nov. 8th, 12:00 pm

Historicist: A Running Start

Seven years of the Ward Marathon, Toronto's first annual marathon.

By David Wencer Oct. 11th, 1:00 pm