Lambton Mills
| Lambton Mills | |
|---|---|
 Location of Lambton Mills within Toronto |
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| Country |
 Canada
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| Province |
 Ontario
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| Settled | 1806 |
The Village of Lambton Mills was a settlement at the crossing of Dundas Street and the Humber River. The settlement was on both sides of the Humber River, in both the former Etobicoke Township and York Township, within today's City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It extended as far west as Royal York Road at Dundas, as far north as the still-existing CPR rail line north of Dundas, as far east as Scarlett Road and as far south as today's Queen Anne Road. The area on the east side of the river is still known as Lambton, although the current neighbourhood encompasses very little of the original Lambton Mills village.
The crossing at the Humber dates to pre-European times. It was the crossing of the 'Davenport Trail' and the 'Toronto Carrying Place' trail used by local First Nations.
The name was linked to the mills (grist, saw mills, woolen mills) that operated along the Humber River from 1850 to 1915. Originally called Cooper's Mills (c. 1806) after William Cooper's Grist and Saw Mill, it was renamed in 1838 in honour of John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham (High Commissioner and Governor General of British North America, who visited to the area.
By 1857, the Village of Lambton Mills contained about 500 people and began to identify the community on both banks of the Humber River at Dundas Street. Earlier, the community on the west bank was frequently referred to as Milton Mills, although Milton Mill (owned by Thomas Fisher) was further downstream in what is now Home Smith Park. Lambton Mills was served by a church, school, and post office which received mail daily. It became an important commercial centre that included stores, a variety of milling operations, taverns, and hotels. Within ten years the population had declined to 250 people as steam-powered mills replaced the water-powered mill, although Lambton Mills continued well into the next century, becoming part of the Borough of York.
The railway crossing the Humber to the north of Dundas was completed in November 1874 as part of the Credit Valley Railway. The bridge as constructed was 568 feet (173 m) long and 95 feet (29 m) high. The Credit Valley Railway had a station in Lambton although this no longer exists. Today, the CPR operates the rail line and the Lambton Yard, located east of Scarlett Road.
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