Menu

Topics

Connect

Comments

Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.

Eglinton Crosstown LRT construction uncovers old Toronto artifacts

WATCH: Many artifacts, including old bottles, wagon wheels and arrowheads, have been dug up as construction work continues on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT in Toronto. Tom Hayes reports – Sep 12, 2019

Artifacts dating as far back thousands of years have surfaced in Toronto as the city’s Eglinton Crosstown LRT construction continues.

Story continues below advertisement

It’s hard to imagine a horse and buggy rolling along Eglinton Avenue at Kennedy Road, but the evidence is there, uncovered by the ongoing LRT project.

A photo of the Eglinton-crosstown LRT construction site. Global News

Karim Hosny, an environmental manager with Crosslinx, says construction has uncovered a series of items dating back to the early 1900s, including a set of wagon wheels.

“My guess is they would have been used in a cart with a horse, and they date back to the turn of the century,“ said Hosny.

Story continues below advertisement

Other artifacts include old bottles, which also date back to the early 1900s. Dairy bottles, medicinal bottles and even an old ink well, once used with a fountain pen, were discovered during the construction.

Hosny says that when artifacts are found during a dig, the area is isolated and the items are removed and assessed. Then the artifacts are then returned the site.

There are currently no future plans for the artifacts.

The oldest item found so far was an arrowhead from midtown excavation on the LRT line.

A photo of an arrowhead, the oldest item found during Toronto’s Eglinton Crosstown LRT construction. Global News

“That’s from an old hunting camp, and they found around 2,800 items,” said Hosny. “The arrowhead is about 5,000 years old.”

Story continues below advertisement

Hosny says the team expects to uncover more artifacts as LRT construction pushes further east.

Advertisement

You are viewing an Accelerated Mobile Webpage.

View Original Article