Evolution of Carleton Village
By the mid-1800s, this area was called Carleton Village. As farmland was settled, village occupations grew from local shops: a blacksmith, a cooper, a cobbler, a tailor.
West Toronto Junction amalgamated with Carleton Village in 1889. The people who lived there were excited about the railways because they could travel and sell their goods. It also employed people as conductors, loaders, station guards, repairmen and engineers.
Starting in 1904, the stock yards became an important part of the community. Nearby slaughter houses were where livestock was prepared for sale and exported to other parts of Canada and abroad. It generated millions of dollars.
In 1892, the street car line called the "Davenport" went from St. Clair Avenue and Keele Street down Ford Street, along Davenport Road and east to Bathurst Street. These streetcars were important to people living and working in the community because cars were too expensive, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to use horses in a growing urban setting.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Toronto Plaques. Full page here.