
City of Toronto Directory 1908
Erie Terrace was renamed Craven Road officially in 1924. There were houses on the street from the spring of 1906 onwards, but the Directory canvassers did not cover them. They probably thought the shacks not worthy of mention. Each Directory reflects the year before its publication date. So the 1908 Directory reflects the street as it was in 1907.

1909 City of Toronto Directiory

1913 City of Toronto Directory

1915 City of Toronto Directory

1921 City of Toronto Directory

1 Erie Terrace October 23, 1911 The Toronto Star

Steele Briggs catalogue, 1896.

Melba Theatre also known as the Roxy Theatre. Photo by Alfred Pearson, City of Toronto Archives.

Globe, May 20, 1925
My apologies, dear readers, number 5 is not the Shim-Sutcliffe House, not 1007 Craven Road IS! I really must get to the other side of the tracks more often! For more about the Shim-Sutcliffe house go to: http://www.tobuilt.ca/php/tobuildings_more.php?search_fd3=5564

7 Erie Terrace March 8, 1917, Globe

7 Erie Terrace Globe, March 31, 1917

7 Craven Road Globe and Mail, Dec. 5, 1944

15 Erie Terrace Globe, June 30, 1919
17 Erie Terrace Globe, May 17, 1915

25 Erie Terrace Globe June 24, 1918

27 Craven Road Globe, Aug. 29, 1928

33 Erie Terrace – Globe, Aug. 17, 1914

47 Erie Terrace Toronto Star Sept 2 1919

47 Erie Terrace The Baby Contest at the Exhibition Globe, Sept. 2, 1919 Baby Albert Thompson in the middle

47 Erie Terrace The Baby Contest at the Exhibition

47 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, Jan 15, 1920

47 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, Jan 15, 1920

47 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, Jan 15, 1920

47 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, Feb. 9, 1920

47 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, March 26, 1920

51 Erie Terrace Globe, July 25, 1919 Returning soldiers at the end of World War One. These men arrived in Halifax or Quebec by troop ships and then took the train to Toronto. They arrived at the North Toronto Station on Yonge Street, now an LCBO outlet. Here they were met by cheering crowds, including many wives and children.

51 Craven Road Toronto Star, May 7, 1937

53 Craven Road Globe, Sept. 11, 1929

59 Craven Road Globe and Mail, July 17, 1943

69 Craven Road Globe, Sept. 30, 1926

83 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, Nov. 16, 1912

89 Craven Road Globe, April 24, 1914

91 Erie Terrace Globe, March 16, 1914

109 Erie Terrace Globe, June 23, 1913

111 Craven Road Globe, Nov. 17, 1934

City of Toronto Directory 1908

119 Craven Road Globe and Mail, Oct. 17, 2009

129 Craven Road Globe and Mail, July 8, 1939

155 Erie Terrace Globe, Jan. 29, 1918

167 Craven Road Globe, Oct. 14, 1935

173 Erie Terrace Globe, June 1, 1923

151 Craven Road Globe and Mail, Nov. 16, 1944

217 Craven Road Globe and Mail, Nov. 28, 1944

217 Craven Road Globe and Mail, Nov. 28, 1944

221 Craven Road Globe, June 28, 1933
221 Erie Terrace. Hugh Garner also lived at 267 Erie Terrace.

225 Craven Road Globe, Jan. 4, 1926

225 Craven Road Globe, Jan. 4, 1926

233 Erie Terrace Globe, Nov. 16, 1915 These soldiers are returning because they “caught a Blighty”. In other words they were so seriously wounded that they had to be evacuated to hospitals in Britain (Blighty). These men came on a hospital ship home. One of the myths historians used to promote was that the average man or woman had no real idea of what was going on in the trenches. This reflects a certain contempt for uneducated people. However, letters from overseas snuck by the censors, returning soldiers told stories like these and, above all, the casualty lists spoke for themselves. And still men enlisted.

237 Erie Terrace Globe, March 26, 1912

247 Craven Road Globe and Mail, April 25, 1955

247 Craven Road Globe and Mail, April 25, 1955 The Magic Words: “Dominion Stores, Stokely’s Honeypod Peas”.

249 Craven Road Globe, April 23, 1932

259 Craven Road, Globe, April 7, 1924

259 Craven Road Globe, April 8, 1924

267 Erie Terrace. Hugh Garner also lived at 221 Erie Terrace.

City of Toronto Directory 1908

283 Erie Terrace George Threlfall died of influenza in a Halifax hospital on Dec. 1, 1916

281 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, April 5, 1918

307 Craven Road Globe, September 4, 1928

Toronto Archives, September, 1928 Baby Muriel Evans

Toronto Archives, September, 1928 Baby Muriel Evans

315 Craven Road Globe and Mail, Aug. 9, 1977 Note that there are three families living here plus a roomer.

325 Erie Terrace J. Hanson killed in Action, Oct. 8, 1918

329 Erie Terrace Globe, June 18, 1923

333 and 335 Erie Terrace, Sept. 10, 1919

385 Craven Road Globe, Aug. 21, 1929

403 Craven Road Globe, Nov. 19, 1928

407 Craven Road March 12, 1937 Many veterans of World War One died prematurely as a result of their wounds, of being gassed and of the sheer stress and misery of the trenches.

411 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, Oct. 20, 1916 William Jones died from his wounds.

411 Craven Road Globe and Mail, April 9, 1936

417 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, April 1, 1918

417 Erie Terrace, Globe, July 18, 1922

435 Erie Terrace, Feb. 2, 1919 Pte. Fitzgerald also suffered badly from “shell shock”.

437 Craven Road Globe and Mail, Dec. 16, 1942 William Albert Rutherford Killed in Action

441 Erie Terrace, Globe, Oct. 24, 1916

447 Erie Terrace (The family is also listed at 417 Erie Terrace) William Clare, with his flaming red hair, freckles and blues eyes, was a hard working man much loved in the neighbourhood. The boys were photographed in the Roden School playground.

449 Erie Terrace Globe, June 16, 1916

461 Erie Terrace, Toronto Star, October 16, 1917

465 Craven Road Globe, Dec. 13, 1924 The T.H.L. was the Toronto Hockey League.

465 Craven Road, Globe and Mail, June 19, 1934

487 Craven Road, Globe, Oct, 1, 1931

Globe, July 17, 1923 The Udupe Palace occupies the site of this gas and ice service station at the north east corner of Gerrard and Craven Road. Most households did not have electric refrigerators yet — only ice boxes.

Garage Gerrard and Craven Globe and Mail, May 17, 1954

507 Craven Road, Globe, March 19, 1929

519 Erie Terrace Globe, June 17, 1919 Returning soldiers off the troopship Royal George

523 Erie Terrace Globe, Feb. 5, 1921 The veterans looked out for each other and felt that William Walter Ward had not received adequate medical treatment.

523 Erie Terrace Globe, Oct. 20, 1921 A starving veteran had to walk to the hospital when both the ambulance and the doctor refused to come. This was long before OHIP (introduced 1963).

525 Craven Road, Globe and Mail, Dec. 19, 1939 The Great Depression did not really end until the Second World War was well underway. Munitions plants and other war time industries created virtually full employment, often with good wages. However, this drew in many from outside of Toronto and created a housing crisis.

539 Erie Terrace Newspaper seller William Priestly had a booth at Greenwood and Gerrard where he sold newspapers and magazines. Blind men often ran newstands and after World War One they banded together to form the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). The CNIB trained veterans to become news agents. Neighbours rallied behind William Priestly and C. Lightfoot to help Phoebe Hunter and her children after the death of Harry Hunter from the Spanish Flu. Toronto Star, Oct. 24, 1918

539 Erie Terrace Home the Hunter Family. A call for volunteers to help finish the house that “love built” at 617 Erie Terrace. Toronto Star, November 27, 1919

539 Craven Road Globe and Mail, Sept. 25, 1946

551 Erie Terrace Globe, July 6, 1916

551 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, July 6, 1916

551 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, Aug. 28, 1917

551 Erie Terrace, Toronto Star, Oct. 22, 1917

557 Craven Road Globe, May 14, 1925

557 Craven Road Globe, May 6, 1935 Neighbours, like the Powells, stood up for each other. The police often laid a heavy hand on the people of Craven Road, often unfairly. Poor people in neighbourhoods with reputations like Craven’s often found themselves on the receiving end of a police night stick.

569 Craven Road Globe and Mail, Dec. 16, 1937 $16 a month rent.

573 Craven Road Globe, Aug. 14, 1924

593 Craven Road Globe and Mail, July 23, 1943
595 Erie Terrace home of everyday hero W. Priestly Toronto Star, Jan. 16, 1919

615 Craven Road, Sept. 10, 1928

617 Craven Road Toronto Star, Dec. 16, 1918 Building permit for a new home to cost $1,500.

617 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, Jan. 16, 1919

Toronto Star, Jan. 17, 1919

617 Erie Terrace Globe, Oct. 15, 1923

619 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, Nov. 8, 1918

681 Craven Road Globe and Mail, April 5, 1945

703 Craven Road, Globe and Mail, July 12, 1950

739 Craven Road Globe, Aug. 11, 1930

739 Craven Road Globe and Mail, Aug. 28, 1943

743 Craven Road, Toronto Star, May 18, 1933

759 Erie Terrace Last paragraph – Little Erin Boyd has never seen his dad. Toronto Star, Jan. 13, 1919

763 Erie Terrace Globe, April 27, 1917

763 Craven Road Globe and Mail, March 2, 1934

775 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, May 4, 1917

775 Erie Terrace Globe, Dec. 23, 1922 The house is “a detached frame, tar-paper-coverd dwelling house”. Note: “The chicken house at the rear of the lot does not form part of the subject matter of the sale.”

777 Craven Road Globe and Mail, June 8, 1982

785 Erie Terrace Globe, Aug. 31, 1918 The use of chlorine gas and mustard gas so damaged the soldiers’ lungs and hearts that many died “before their time” or were disabled for the rest of their lives. Many died of lung cancer.

785 Erie Terrace Globe, Dec. 8, 1922

799 Craven Road Globe, Aug. 28, 1924

821 Erie Terrace Globe, Nov. 2, 1917

825 Erie Terrace Globe, September 30, 1916 After the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, the casualties covered pages of newspapers. For more info go to: http://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/history/battles-and-fighting/land-battles/courcelette/

827 Craven Road Globe and Mail, Jan 4, 1956

829 Erie Terrace Globe, July 7, 1922

1031 Craven Road Globe, Oct. 22, 1926 Craven Road seems to have had an unusually large number of bookies and bootleggers. I have only included a few examples of the criminal activity reported but it would be fair to say that Craven Road’s reputation wasn’t entirely unearned.

1049 Craven Road Globe, Sept. 15, 1925

1069 Erie Terrace Globe, Dec. 21, 1918
My great Grandmother is the ” Missing girl Jenny Smith ” at 829 craven road. I have her on the 1921 census with her family at this address 🙂