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Black Oak Savannah Commemorative Plaque, 2016 

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File information File dimensions File size Options

Original JPG File

8400 × 6000 pixels (50.4 MP)

71.1 cm × 50.8 cm @ 300 PPI

10.0 MB Restricted

Low resolution print

2000 × 1429 pixels (2.86 MP)

16.9 cm × 12.1 cm @ 300 PPI

707 KB Restricted

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1120 × 800 pixels (0.9 MP)

9.5 cm × 6.8 cm @ 300 PPI

298 KB Restricted
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Resource details

Resource ID

5213

Access

Open

Credit Line

Heritage Toronto

Date of Creation

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.

Program Category

Historical Plaques

Rights

Heritage Toronto

Historical Themes

Indigenous Heritage, Parks and Natural Heritage

Time Period

Pre-colonization, 1615-1793

Caption

Black Oak Savannah Commemorative Plaque, 2016

Consent management
License management
Location Data

Marker lat / long: 43.637535, -79.466493 (WGS84)

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