Muddy York: A Toronto History Podcast

Arlene Chan joins us to talk about the history of Toronto's Chinatown. The Chinese presence in Toronto goes back to at least 1878. However, the first Chinatown would become a victim of urban redevelo…

On this episode of Muddy York, we’re plunging deep into Toronto’s underground story—the tale of our city’s sewers. It’s a story that’s all about overcoming the gritty, grimy obstacles of urban growth…

By 1917, tens of thousands of Torontonians had joined the Canadian forces fighting in Europe and thousands had died. Women were entering the workforce to replace men who had joined the army and the c…

World War I was a cataclysm that fundamentally changed western civilization. Toronto was just a small piece of this massive event, but four years of war would transform the city in ways both big and …

If you listen to this podcast, then you probably live near Toronto. That usually means that you're from southern Ontario, but you could live in PEI. You could be from Indiana, Illinois or Iowa. You c…

Today is the 70th Anniversary of Hurricane Hazel striking Toronto, one of the worst disasters in the city's history. 81 people died and more than 4,000 were left homeless. To commemorate this anniver…

For most of the 20th century, Eaton’s was the most famous store in Canada. At its height, 7% of all retail shopping in Canada was done there. Today, all that remains is the name of the Eaton Centre. …

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is a world-famous cultural event that has launched some of the biggest films in cinema history. But it had humble origins as three film producers fought…

Adam Bunch joins us for this special episode discussing the private lives of John Graves Simcoe, the man who founded Toronto, and his wife Elizabeth. Tune in to learn more about the spy rings, pyroma…

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 Su…

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 Cana…

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 th…

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 administrativ…

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. M…

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 c…

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 Y…

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 t…

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 Toront…

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 …

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 …