Don Valley Historical Mapping Project

Toronto’s Don River Valley is arguably the city’s most distinctive physical feature. As a provider of water, power, sustenance, building materials, and transportation, it has played an important role in the city’s settlement and development. This project documents historical changes in the landscape of the Don River Valley. Drawing from the wide range of geographical information available for the Don River watershed (and the Lower Don in particular), including historical maps, geological maps, fire insurance plans, planning documents, and city directories, the project uses Geographic Information Systems software to place, compile, synthesize and interpret this information and make it more accessible as geospatial data and maps.