Muddy York: A Toronto History Podcast

Next Monday, September 9th, will be the 70th anniversary of a major athletic and cultural event in the history of Toronto. On that date in 1954, a sixteen-year-old girl touched the breakwater near Sunnyside Beach making her the first person to swim across Lake Ontario. She became a media sensation and Canada’s sweetheart, but two years later, she hung up her swimsuit and retired to live an ordinar...

During the 60s, Yorkville was arguably the most important cultural location in Canada, launching the careers of people that have made such enormous contributions that we can hardly remember what Canadian music was like before they arrived. In our last episode, we didn’t have enough time to give this topic the attention it deserves, so this week will be dedicated to the rise and fall of the Yorkvil...

Over the years, Yorkville has been Toronto's first suburb, a working-class neighbourhood, the centre of the Canadian counterculture and one of the swankiest districts in the city. Learn more about this colourful neighbourhood on Muddy York , Toronto's #1 history podcast. You can follow  Muddy York  on Twitter:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Toronto_History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  and Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠h...

The Olympic flame has been lit. Join Adam Waiser and Grayson Miller for this bonus episode where we dive into Toronto's many bids to host the Summer Olympics. Some of them failed due to administrative mishaps; others were thwarted by political blunders. Learn all about it on Muddy York , Toronto's #1 history podcast. You can follow  Muddy York  on Twitter:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Toronto_History⁠⁠⁠⁠...

The story of the 1991 Argos features a rare coin and baseball card collector who owned the LA Kings, the greatest hockey player of all time, and one of the greatest football prospects of the 1990s. Most of all, it featured John Candy. This is the story of the Grey-Cup winning team that electrified Toronto for one magical season. You can follow  Muddy York  on Twitter:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Toronto_Hist...

Have you ever wondered who the Gardiner Expressway was named for? Fred Gardiner was the first Chairman of Metro Toronto and he was responsible for some of the biggest infrastructure projects in the city, including the Don Valley Parkway and the highway who bears his name. Learn more about this important builder on Muddy York , Toronto's #1 history podcast. You can follow  Muddy York  on Twitte...

Fort York was built to defend Toronto from our dastardly neighbours to the south. It would participate in two major battles throughout its history. It lost the first one when the Americans captured York during the War of 1812, but it won the second battle, which was a decades-long fight against the developers and city planners who wanted to demolish it. Learn more about the guardian of Toronto Bay...

When the Tragically Hip sang about "that night in Toronto with its checkerboard floors", they were talking about the Horseshoe Tavern. Famous bands like the Pixies and the Stones played there while they were in town and Canadian bands like Blue Rodeo and the Barenaked Ladies played there on their way to fame. Learn more about one of Toronto's iconic musical venues on Muddy York , Tor...

Join host Grayson Miller for this bonus episode of Muddy York where we dive into the monumental announcement of Toronto's new WNBA franchise. We'll reflect on the rich history of basketball in Toronto, explore the present excitement surrounding the expansion and offer an early look at what this development could mean for the future of women's sports in Canada. Tune in for an engaging a...

Toronto history aficionado Jeremy Hopkin joins us to talk about the history of the Leaside Aerodrome. This airfield was originally built by the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. It would become the site of the first airmail delivery in Canadian history and the home of the Toronto Flying Club. Learn more about this vanished piece of Toronto history on Muddy York , Toronto's #1 history podc...

Certain things at certain times become the centre of pop culture. For Gen Z, it’s TikTok. For Millennials, it was MuchMusic and MTV. For boomers who grew up here, it was 1050 CHUM. This is the story of the radio station that introduced rock n roll to Toronto and became the centre of youth culture for a decade or more. You can follow Muddy York on Twitter:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Toronto_History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ...

For this episode, we welcome Mark Maloney, author of Toronto Mayors: A History of the City's Leaders , to talk about mayors who were brave, mayors who were charitable, mayors who were visionary and mayors who just got things done. Learn more about these Inspiring Mayors on  Muddy York , Toronto's #1 history podcast. You can follow Muddy York on Twitter:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Toronto_History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

The Royal York is the grand old dame of Toronto hotels. It was built as one of Canada's grand railway hotels and upon completion, it was the tallest building in the British Empire. It's hosted the Royal Family alongside performances by everybody from Jim Carrey to Tina Turner. Learn more about this Toronto landmark on the latest episode of Muddy York , Toronto's #1 history podcast. You...

Jamaican beef patties have become a regular part of Toronto's food landscape. But in 1985, patty vendors had to fight a government edict ordering them to change the name. This led to the Patty War s. Learn about this piece of culinary history on Muddy York, Toronto's #1 history podcast. You can follow Muddy York on Twitter:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Toronto_History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  and Facebook:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

The Oscars are on Sunday, so this week, we'll be talking about one of the founding members of the Academy. She was the most famous and highest-paid woman in Hollywood during the silent film era - the Jennifer Lawrence or Julia Roberts of her day. She was known as America’s Sweetheart, but she was born right here in Toronto. Learn more about Mary Pickford right here on Muddy York, Toronto's...

Many of the early Toronto settlers were Irish Protestants. When large numbers of Irish Catholics began to arrive in the 1840s and 50s, it became a combustible mix and Toronto became known as the Belfast of Canada. Greg Koabel of The Nations of Canada podcast will join use to discuss some of these conflicts, including the 1858 St. Patrick's Day Riots and the Prince of Wales' visit in 1860. Learn mo...

William Peyton Hubbard was the first black man elected to public office in Toronto. He spent 15 years on City Council and served as Acting Mayor. The Globe wrote "His influence, when he cares to exert it, can accomplish more, perhaps, than any other member [of City Council]." Learn more about this trailblazing pioneer on Muddy York , Toronto's #1 history podcast. You can follow Muddy...

The history of basketball in Toronto started long before the Raptors began playing. It began at the start of the 20th century, includes the first game in NBA history, a plan to relocate the Cleveland Cavaliers and a Toronto high school that won four straight provincial championships. Toronto sports isn't just about hockey. Learn more from this episode of Muddy York, Toronto's #1 history po...

Over the course of 24 hours in 1954, Hurricane Hazel would drop an estimated 40 billion gallons of water on Southern Ontario. It would transform usually peaceful streams into raging torrents of water that washed away anything in its path, including cars, homes and people. By the time the storm left, 81 people were dead and more than 4,000 would be left homeless. In this episode, we tell the story...

For 150 years, the Toronto Islands have been everybody's favourite place to get away from it all. But they're not just a vacation spot. They were the site of Babe Ruth's first professional home run. They are the home of Toronto's oldest ghost story. In fact, the weirdest fact about Toronto Island is that until 1852, it wasn't even an island. This week on Muddy York, learn more...

On December 1, 1919, Ambrose Small sold his theatrical empire and deposited a cheque for $1 million (worth at least $15 million today). The next day, he vanished. His disappearance became a media sensation that riveted Toronto at the start of the Roaring 20s. Learn more about this famous Toronto cold case in the latest episode of Muddy York. You can follow Muddy York on Twitter:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Toronto_Hist...

The Santa Claus Parade has been delighting children and grownups for more than 100 years. This week on Muddy York, learn more about the history of this Toronto institution, including a team of live reindeer, paper costumes, Punkinhead and the campaign to Save Our Parade. You can follow Muddy York on Twitter:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Toronto_History⁠⁠⁠⁠  and Facebook:  ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/muddyyorkhistory/⁠⁠⁠...

On April 27, 1813, the United States attacked the town of York as part of the War of 1812. The Americans raided local homes and burned down public buildings, but we would have our revenge. When you hit Toronto, Toronto hits back! You can follow Muddy York on Twitter:  ⁠⁠⁠Toronto_History⁠⁠⁠  and Facebook:  ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/muddyyorkhistory/⁠⁠ Music: WesterFlies- Dover Brian Bulger - A Foo...

Instead of a new episode, we are happy to let you know about the newest member of the Muddy York team. He doesn’t provide as much history content, but he’s a lot cuter. Father and child are healthy and happy. Muddy York will be back with a brand new episode on November 7th.

Meridian Hall (better known to old folks as O'Keefe Centre) was Toronto's top performing arts and concert venue. It opened with the premiere of the broadway show - Camelot. It was also the site of scandalous Hollywood relationships, Soviet defections, and rock n' roll riots. Learn more about this Toronto landmark in this week's episode of Muddy York , Toronto's #1 history podca...