Around the World Travel: Humber River Discoveries

by Irene Fantopoulos

There is so much natural beauty just beyond the shores of Lake Ontario, that I feel it is incumbent upon me to share my Humber River trails discoveries to the west of the City of Toronto in Canada.

This time, my explorations led me to dedications and monuments that pay tribute to people who have left their mark upon Canadian soil over the years. Some are known. Many are unknown.

Humber Bridge Looking West

Palace Pier

Base of Original Palace
Pier Footing

Just to the west of the Humber Bridge, I came upon the ruins of what was once the original Palace Pier, a 300 foot long amusement pier with Moroccan-style architecture, finished in 1941. It became synonymous with the Big Band era during World War II and the ensuing years. The pier was destroyed by fire in 1963. Today, two condominium towers stand tall, overlooking Lake Ontario and the ghosts of the amusement pier.

Queen Mother Monument
Close-up

Queen Mother Monument
from Humber Bridge

Queen Mother Monument

Going over the bridge toward the east (toward downtown Toronto), a concrete obelisk with a crown atop it, stands tall amid the lush greenery. This structure was rededicated to the Queen Mother in 1989 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Queen Elizabeth Way, Canada's first super highway in 1939.

Bust of Gzowski

Half a kilometre east lies the monument that houses the bust of Casimir Stanislaus Gzowski. Gzowski was born to a Roman Catholic family in St. Petersbourg, Russia in 1813. Although he first emigrated to the United States, he came to Canada in 1841 where he had significant influence over the building of Canadian railways. Gzowski was a public figure, an entrepreneur and strongly affiliated with the Canadian military. He died in Toronto in 1898. He is buried at the St. James Cemetery near Parliament and Bloor, in Toronto.

Gzowski Monument

Fountain, Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion

Sunnyside Pavilion,
South Side

Walking along the boardwalk one finds the Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion, built in 1917. It is one of the few remaining buildings of that era in this area. Today, the Pavilion houses a restaurant where jazz is on offer during the summer months. Sometimes there are art exhibits on the premises. There is also access to the Gus Ryder olympic-sized public pool from the Pavilion. Helps to cool us off during the hot and humid Toronto summers.

To the east of the Gus Ryder pool are a plaque and a park dedicated on August 16, 1984 to Marilyn Bell, the first swimmer to cross Lake Ontario on September 8 and 9th, 1954. She was 16 years old. Her crossing took 20 hours and 55 minutes. She started from Youngstown (New York state), at the mouth of the Niagara River, and ended at the breakwater just to the west of the Canadian National Exhibition in her hometown, Toronto.

These are all great contributors to Canada's history. But sadness lies to the west in the Humber Bay Park East where on June 23, 2007, a memorial site was dedicated to the 329 passengers and crew who perished in the bombing of Air India Flight 182 on June 23, 1983. The names of the victims are inscribed on a wall that is reminiscent of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. On the site is a sundial pointing in the direction of Ireland, where the aircraft's passengers met their untimely death in the Atlantic Ocean.