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 Directiory1913 City of Toronto Directory1915 City of Toronto Directory1921 City of Toronto Directory
1 Erie Terrace October 23, 1911 The Toronto StarSteele 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, Globe7 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, 191827 Craven Road Globe, Aug. 29, 192833 Erie Terrace – Globe, Aug. 17, 191447 Erie Terrace Toronto Star Sept 2 191947 Erie Terrace The Baby Contest at the Exhibition Globe, Sept. 2, 1919 Baby Albert Thompson in the middle47 Erie Terrace The Baby Contest at the Exhibition47 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, Jan 15, 192047 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, Jan 15, 192047 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, Jan 15, 192047 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, Feb. 9, 192047 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, March 26, 192051 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, 193753 Craven Road Globe, Sept. 11, 192959 Craven Road Globe and Mail, July 17, 194369 Craven Road Globe, Sept. 30, 192683 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, Nov. 16, 191289 Craven Road Globe, April 24, 191491 Erie Terrace Globe, March 16, 1914109 Erie Terrace Globe, June 23, 1913111 Craven Road Globe, Nov. 17, 1934City of Toronto Directory 1908119 Craven Road Globe and Mail, Oct. 17, 2009129 Craven Road Globe and Mail, July 8, 1939
155 Erie Terrace Globe, Jan. 29, 1918167 Craven Road Globe, Oct. 14, 1935173 Erie Terrace Globe, June 1, 1923151 Craven Road Globe and Mail, Nov. 16, 1944217 Craven Road Globe and Mail, Nov. 28, 1944217 Craven Road Globe and Mail, Nov. 28, 1944221 Craven Road Globe, June 28, 1933
221 Erie Terrace. Hugh Garner also lived at 267 Erie Terrace.
225 Craven Road Globe, Jan. 4, 1926225 Craven Road Globe, Jan. 4, 1926233 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, 1912247 Craven Road Globe and Mail, April 25, 1955247 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, 1924259 Craven Road Globe, April 8, 1924267 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, 1916281 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, April 5, 1918307 Craven Road Globe, September 4, 1928Toronto Archives, September, 1928 Baby Muriel EvansToronto Archives, September, 1928 Baby Muriel Evans315 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, 1918329 Erie Terrace Globe, June 18, 1923333 and 335 Erie Terrace, Sept. 10, 1919
385 Craven Road Globe, Aug. 21, 1929403 Craven Road Globe, Nov. 19, 1928407 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, 1936417 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, April 1, 1918417 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 Action441 Erie Terrace, Globe, Oct. 24, 1916447 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, 1916461 Erie Terrace, Toronto Star, October 16, 1917465 Craven Road Globe, Dec. 13, 1924 The T.H.L. was the Toronto Hockey League.465 Craven Road, Globe and Mail, June 19, 1934487 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, 1954507 Craven Road, Globe, March 19, 1929519 Erie Terrace Globe, June 17, 1919 Returning soldiers off the troopship Royal George523 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, 1918539 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, 1919539 Craven Road Globe and Mail, Sept. 25, 1946551 Erie Terrace Globe, July 6, 1916551 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, July 6, 1916551 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, Aug. 28, 1917551 Erie Terrace, Toronto Star, Oct. 22, 1917557 Craven Road Globe, May 14, 1925557 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, 1924593 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, 1928617 Craven Road Toronto Star, Dec. 16, 1918 Building permit for a new home to cost $1,500.617 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, Jan. 16, 1919Toronto Star, Jan. 17, 1919617 Erie Terrace Globe, Oct. 15, 1923619 Erie Terrace Toronto Star, Nov. 8, 1918681 Craven Road Globe and Mail, April 5, 1945703 Craven Road, Globe and Mail, July 12, 1950739 Craven Road Globe, Aug. 11, 1930739 Craven Road Globe and Mail, Aug. 28, 1943743 Craven Road, Toronto Star, May 18, 1933759 Erie Terrace Last paragraph – Little Erin Boyd has never seen his dad. Toronto Star, Jan. 13, 1919763 Erie Terrace Globe, April 27, 1917
763 Craven Road Globe and Mail, March 2, 1934775 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, 1922799 Craven Road Globe, Aug. 28, 1924821 Erie Terrace Globe, Nov. 2, 1917825 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, 1956829 Erie Terrace Globe, July 7, 19221031 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, 19251069 Erie Terrace Globe, Dec. 21, 1918
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One thought on “Craven Road: By The Numbers”
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 🙂
221 Erie Terrace. Hugh Garner also lived at 267 Erie Terrace.
Leslieville Historical Society 
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 🙂