THE CLUES ARE SCATTERED throughout Parkdale. On the west wall of the Rhino, a deteriorating mural depicts the first Miss Toronto contest. On the northwest corner of Queen and Macdonell a second mural showcases a beach vista. The large archway of the Bathing Pavilion stands regally over the Sunnyside sands.

They are all clues to a time when Sunnyside beach – a 130 acre stretch of shore[i] to the south of High Park and Parkdale – was Sunnyside Amusement Park: one of the top destinations in the city. At its peak, it had a regular rotation of tens of thousands of attendants a day.

And yet its history far precedes the amusement park. In this article we explore the History of This Spot, with a walk through the many eras of Sunnyside, and the stories of the people who lived, died, and made history there.

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Sunnyside Before the Amusement Park

First Nations

We begin at the beginning, before the arrival of the Europeans, when Sunnyside was enclosed by tall, grassy bluffs.

At this time, Parkdale and High Park were the territory of several First Nations who travelled and traded throughout the province primarily by way of water routes.[ii] Along these routes, there would usually be a trail for portaging – that is, for going on foot in the case of an interruption in the waterway.

The primary portaging trail that headed north from the lakeshore started off along the Humber River, and via connections to other

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