City Dairy Company driver and wagon, 1900. Image: City of Toronto Archives
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Original JPG File | 1054 × 881 pixels (0.93 MP) 8.9 cm × 7.5 cm @ 300 PPI |
230 KB | Restricted |
Screen | 957 × 800 pixels (0.77 MP) 8.1 cm × 6.8 cm @ 300 PPI |
224 KB | Restricted |
Resource ID
7821
Access
Open
Credit Line
City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2, Series 958, File 23
Date of Creation
1900
Keywords
Horses, transportation, delivery
Program Category
Marketing and Communication
Rights
Public domain
Caption
City Dairy Company driver and wagon, 1900. Image: City of Toronto Archives
Description
A dairy company that started out as a milk supply for Walter Massey's family, the City Dairy Company in Toronto became one of the largest dairies in the British Empire. Started in 1900, it quickly became known for its pure and healthy milk supply. The City Dairy established its headquarters and centralized dairy facility on the northeastern arc of Spadina Crescent, between Russell Street and Bancroft Avenue. It was known as the most scientifically advanced dairy in North America, and had been pasteurizing all of its milk products since 1903. The first City Dairy wagons, painted a distinctive yellow, left Spadina Crescent to initiate home delivery on January 30, 1901. By the 1920s, the dairy’s fleet, which Huntley numbers at 210 vehicles, comprised mostly horse-drawn wagons, as well as some sleighs for winter, and a handful of motorized vehicles to provide delivery to almost 50,000 homes in Toronto.