Black Oak Savannah Commemorative Plaque, 2016
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Resource ID
5213
Access
Open
Address
Queensway and Ellis Avenue, Toronto, ON M6S 5A7
Credit Line
Heritage Toronto
Date of Creation
2016
Historical Themes
Indigenous Heritage, Parks and Natural Heritage
Program Category
Historical Plaques
Rights
Heritage Toronto
Time Period
Pre-colonization, 1615-1793
Caption
Black Oak Savannah Commemorative Plaque, 2016
Description
This site was once at the southern edge of Toronto's Black Oak savannah. Consisting of open grasslands with scattered trees and shrubs, this ecosystem flourished in the sandy soil near Lake Ontario. European colonization starting in the 18th century and urban development in the 19th century led to its decline.
Savannahs are delicate ecosystems adapted to and dependent on fire, either natural or man-made. The Indigenous groups (Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Anishinaabe/Mississauga) who occupied the area before Europeans used controlled burns to tend to this environment and to clear areas for their settlements and fields.
The relationship between Indigenous groups and their environment was mutually beneficial. Periodic burns encouraged the growth of fire-adapted tall grasses and other plants used as food and medicine. The open grasslands attracted large animals and were good hunting grounds. The Humber River arm of the Toronto Carrying Place Trail, a major Indigenous route that linked Lake Ontario to Lake Simcoe, was one of several trails that crossed the savannah. Corn fields flourished close to the Seneca village of Teiaiagon, at today's Baby Point.
Savannahs are an Indigenous environmental legacy. European settlement resulted in the suppression of controlled burns, and savannah lands became forested and later developed areas. Nevertheless, remnants of Toronto's Black Oak savannah can be found in High Park, South Humber Park, and Lambton Park.
Marker lat / long: 43.637535, -79.466493 (WGS84)