Lorne Park
| Lorne Park | |
|---|---|
| Neighbourhood | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 43°32′7″N 79°37′7″W / 43.53528°N 79.61861°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Regional municipality | Peel |
| City | Mississauga |
| Established | 1805 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Forward sortation area | L5H |
| Area code(s) | 905 and 289 |
| NTS Map | 030M12 |
| GNBC Code | FCBEH |
Lorne Park is a suburban residential neighbourhood located in southwestern Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, first started as a resort.
History
The city of Mississauga was once known as Toronto Township, which comprised several towns and villages. The first settlements began around 1800 and developed around factories, harbors, or other local businesses. The larger of these rural communities were Clarkson, Cooksville, Erindale, Meadowdale, Malton, Port Credit and Streetsville.
Many smaller villages also sprung up near the larger towns. These include Barberton, Britannia, Burnhamthorpe, Derry West, Elmbank, Frogmore, Hanlan, Harris’ Corners, Hawkins’ Corners, Lisgar, Lorne Park, Mount Charles, Palestine, Pucky’s Huddle, Sheridan and Summerville.[1] The villages prospered until the arrival of the railroads in the late 19th century. The rise of the Industrial age prompted rapid urban growth and a steady economic and population decline in many rural Ontario communities. By 1915 most of the villages, now referred to as the “lost villages” of Mississauga, disappeared. Except for a few cemeteries, little is left to record their existence.
Lorne Park shares a common history with Clarkson. Before the arrival of the Europeans, all the land in Toronto Township belonged to the Mississauga Indians. The first white settler in the Clarkson-Lorne Park area was Thomas Ingersoll, who established the Government Inn and trading post on the Credit River in 1798.[2]
On August 2, 1805, the Mississauga Indians sold the British Government the Mississauga Tract, which ran from the Etobicoke Creek to Burlington Bay. The 70,784 acre area included 26 miles of shoreline and extended five miles inland.3 Out of this land deal Toronto Township was established and many small communities quickly developed. Clarkson and the area that would become Lorne Park were founded along the shores of Lake Ontario.
In 1820, a log road was built from the mouth of the Credit River to the Humber River, followed shortly by a bridge that enabled travelers going from York to Hamilton to pass through Clarkson and attracted more settlers. By the 1830 logging was a major industry in Lorne Park. Most of the pine wood was exported to England and the United States.
Over the early part of the 20th century Lorne Park grew into a unique community. In 1887 Joseph Thompson bought 86 acres of land in Lorne Park which became known as Thompson’s Wood (now called Jack Darling Park). Thompson’s brother Ernest Seton lived there until the home was lost in foreclosure. Ernest left, changed his name to Ernest Thompson Seton and achieved fame as an author and artist. The Lorne Park Post Office opened in 1892 and George D. Perry was the village’s first postmaster. James Alberton built the three-story Albertonia Hotel in 1899. In 1927, it was renamed the Lorne Park Lodge but burned down two years later in 1929.
The Lorne Park Mission Hall was built in 1902. It featured an open porch and a bell tower on the roof. The first library was organized by sawmill owner Robert Taylor in 1903. The first library meeting was held in January, 1904, in the Lorne Park Mission Hall. Reverend H.Thompson officiated over the first Anglican services in 1906, also held at the Lorne Park Mission Hall. St. Paul’s Anglican Church was built in 1914. The Lorne Park Baptist Church was founded Sunday, May 18, 1919, in the Lorne Park Mission, with Reverend J. Williamson presiding.
At some point a 75-acre (300,000 m2) "pleasure grounds," was operated in Lorne Park by the Toronto Park Association, included separate parlours for men and women, bowling lanes and merry-go-rounds. Travel to the resort from Toronto was often by steamer. After a series of bankruptcies, the resort lands were sold to cottagers. With access of the QEW highway, suburbanization of the original lands and surrounding area ensued in the post WWII period. (Brown, 1997 Toronto's Lost Villages)
For the next half century, Lorne Park remained a small burg, until 1968 when it, along with several other villages, was amalgamated to form the town of Mississauga. Six years later, Mississauga was incorporated and now is Canada’s 6th largest city. Even though Lorne Park was absorbed into Mississauga, it remained a distinct neighborhood that retains ties to its pioneer origins.
Lorne Park Estates
Lorne Park Estates is a community of about 77 acres (310,000 m2), located in the City of Mississauga and bordered by Lake Ontario on the south, Lakeshore Road on the north, Jack Darling Park on the west and Richard’s Memorial Park on the East.
Homeowners are not only responsible for municipal taxes and upkeep on their land, but they are also co-operately responsible for the upkeep and taxes on 37 acres (150,000 m2) of the area including residential roads, forests, walking trails, a cottage, the small park area and a beach.
The two roads into Lorne Park Estates are marked as "private" not just because they are privately maintained, but because they are not conducive to traffic. The privately maintained roads in the community are extremely narrow with no sidewalks, few through-fares and with many dead ends.
History
The Lorne Park is named after John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll, better known by the courtesy title Marquess of Lorne.[3] Historically the community, and the piece of land in question, has seen many changes. The land, first occupied by the Mississaugas, was transferred with larger land portion through Treaty No. 13 to Governor John Graves Simcoe in 1805. The land, which housed a significant stand of pines, was slated to be used for its wood as resources for the British Empire. However, this was not required and the land remained intact and became a subject of interest. First by individuals of the British military who wished to settle, and then by sundry businessmen and investors. Its legal ownership in the 1800s and early 1900s changed hands many times, ultimately resulting in the owners taking charge of the community before its designation came under city jurisdiction. Currently, owners have postal, garbage and water service, while road, parks and sewage are handled by the association or the individuals.
In a survey of 1888 we see the “Lorne Park Summer Resort Company” creating small cottage lots, a hotel, wharf, walking trails and common grounds. The community was designed by Edmund Burke, and so were many of its original cottages. Trains, carriage and steamers left Toronto on a regular basis to ferry visitors to the newly built wharf, picnic areas, music pavilion and eating establishment - which would later become a hotel. Indeed most of the names of the investors can still be seen in the community such as Roper, Stockwell, and Henderson. Alas, not all the immemorial were to survive as originally entertained. Orient Avenue and North Crescent became Orient Marsh. Lugsdin Avenue became Lugsdin Creek. Campbell, McIntyre, Neville, Venn, Hill Dale and Moore Avenue and Boustead Terrace disappeared or became topographical features.
Another survey of 1922, sees slight changes to the lot configuration under the auspices of Lorne Park Estates Limited. Few of the lots were bought with the intention of building small cottages. According to "A Village Within a City - a Story of Lorne Park Estates" (1980), some people were purchasing two to four lots in order to create larger properties of up to 1-acre (4,000 m2). However, the forests, walking paths, gathering area and beach area continued to be collectively owned and managed.
Of the summer homes that were built, a number were designed by Edmund Burke in the English Arts and Crafts style as two-stories with deep verandas and sleeping balconies to catch the breeze of Lake Ontario.
Transportation
The main roads in Lorne Park are Lakeshore Road, Lorne Park Road, Truscott Drive, and Indian Road. The main bus routes are 23 Lakeshore and 14 Lorne Park, operated by Mississauga Transit.
Education
The two-story, four-room Lorne Park Public School opened in 1923, with 76 students enrolled. Throughout the 1930s the school was a center of community activity, hosting concerts, Christmas festivities, dinners and village events. The original school was destroyed by fire on January 22, 1982 but was rebuilt and will celebrate its 90th anniversary in 2013. It serves students grades 1 through 5.
The Lorne Park Secondary School was founded in 1958 and serves 1400 students in grades 9 through 12. The school is known for its academic and artistic excellence and for one of the top rated athletic programs in the nation.
References
- ↑ The Lost Villages of Mississauga, Heritage Mississauga
- ↑ History of Clarkson – Lorne Park Area, LPSS Matters (Alumni Newsletter of the Lorne Park Secondary School). Volume 5, Issue 2. April 2005.
- ↑ Clarkson Book - Part 4 (1951-2002), City of Mississauga
See also
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Coordinates: 43°32′07″N 79°37′07″W / 43.53528°N 79.61861°W