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Opportunities for taking a reprieve from the summer heat in Toronto back in the day were few and far between. Short of standing directly in front of fan or heading down into a dark basement, the only way to escape the heat was to hit a pool or the lake.
Perhaps it's not surprising then that the Toronto Archives is chock full of images of people bathing, as was the more common parlance a century ago.
Whether it be on the Toronto Islands or at Sunnyside, two of the city's prime destinations for water-based activity, there are scores of images that demonstrate just how important public swimming was prior to around the 1970s or so, when more and more suburban homes were outfitted with private pools and air conditioning started to become more common in general.
Although I certainly wouldn't want to turn off the AC right now, there's something rather romantic and exhilarating about the prospect of getting so frustratingly hot that one must simply surround himself with water just to remain sane.
In honour of that past reality, here's a little history of swimming in Toronto. May it remind you at once of the joys of air conditioning and what we lost when it became ubiquitous.
YWCA, 1907
Swimming at Hanlan's Point, 1907
YWCA swimming class, 1908
Kew Beach, 1908
Scarborough Beach water chute, 1908
John Innes Pool and Recreation Centre, 1908
High Park Mineral Baths, 1911
High Park Mineral Baths, alternate angle
Private swimming pool, 1911
Sunnyside, 1912
Swimming in the Don, 1912
Life saving drill, 1914
Toronto Island Swim Race, 1914
YMCA Swimming Championships, 1915
Waterslide, 1920
Sunnyside, 1924
TTC Bathing Cars at Sunnyside, 1924
Toronto Ladies Swim Club, 1925
Sunnyside, 1926
Sunnyside, 1926
Humberside Collegiate pool, 1930s
CNE Marathon Swim, 1930
CNE Marathon Swim, 1930
Sunnyside, 1940s
Swimming in Brampton, 1930
Aqua Parade at Maple Leaf Gardens, 1940s
Aqua Parade, 1948
CNE Diver, 1950s
Marilyn Bell, practice swim in 1956
The suburban dream, 1960s
Northview Heights swimming pool, 1960s
Sunnyside / Gus Ryder, 1960s
Dovercourt Boys Club, 1960s
by Derek Flack via blogTO
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