Muddy York: A Toronto History Podcast

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 ma…

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 Ro…

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 Wars. …

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…

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 Belf…

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 exer…

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…

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…

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. …

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 sen…

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 r…

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 h…

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 sc…

St. Lawrence Market has been a city hall, a jailhouse, a music hall and a great place to get a peameal bacon sandwich. National Geographic ranked it as one of the top 10 food markets in the world. Le…

The Great Fire of 1849 destroyed 10-15 acres of central Toronto, including earlier versions of St. Lawrence Market and St. James Cathedral. This wasn't just a good fire, it was a great fire. Learn mo…

The CNE begins in three days. This week on Muddy York, learn about its weird and wonderful history including butter sculpting, car polo, the Mayors Bathtub Derby and an Alice Cooper riot.

You can fo…

Before the Blue Jays played their first game in the snow, the Maple Leafs were Toronto's top professional baseball team. They won 11 International League titles and 13 Hall of Famers would play for t…

This episode is about the great mansion on Davenport Hill and the man who built it. Casa Loma is one of the most distinctive buildings in Toronto, but there's more to this story. It helped to launch …

Thornton and Lucie Blackburn were born as slaves in Kentucky. They would escape, make their way to Canada, establish the legal precedent that led to the Underground Railroad and create the very first…