About the Don River Valley Historical Mapping Project

The Don River Valley Historical Mapping Project documents the dramatic changes to one of Toronto’s most distinctive landscapes. Using historical maps, geological surveys, fire insurance plans, planning documents, and city directories, the project applies Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to compile, interpret, and make this information accessible as geospatial data and maps.

Project outcomes

The project is ongoing. So far, dozens of historical maps of Toronto and the Don River watershed were scanned and several geospatial datasets were created. These include:

Changes to the river channel and Toronto Harbour shoreline (1858–1918),
Patterns of industrial development in the Lower Don River watershed (1857–1951),
Historical mill sites in the Don River Watershed (1825, 1852),
Land ownership in the watershed (1860, 1878), and
Points of interest within the watershed.

The project team is planning to expand it to include data from other Toronto area watersheds and other parts of the city.

More information

Visit the project website for more details:
Don River Valley Historical Mapping Project Website

Explore our online interactive map:
The Don River Valley Interactive Map

Download the datasets:
Don Valley Historical Mapping Project on Borealis

Don River Valley Historical Mapping Project

How we did it

Associated libraries

Team