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The High Park Forest School
PHOTO: CITY OF TORONTO ARCHIVES
TAKE A COURSE
The Lady in Red

A SUPERNATURAL HISTORY OF TORONTO

You can learn a lot about a city through the stories of the strange things said to lurk in its shadows. In four online lectures, we'll explore Toronto's past through tales of phantoms, monsters and mythical beasts. Whether it's the terrifying creature spotted in the tunnels beneath Cabbagetown, the sea serpent rumoured to live in the depths of Lake Ontario, or the unicorns hidden all over town, the supernatural stories told about our city illuminate the history of the place we call home.

Registration is now open! The course begins on October 25, 2023!

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A Boozy History of Toronto

A BOOZY HISTORY OF TORONTO

Alcohol has always been a dramatic part of life in Toronto — from the days of colonial treachery to modern debates over drinking in parks. In this four-week online course, we'll meet drunken rebels, beer-bashing mayors, notorious bootleggers, and alcoholic politicians. We'll witness booze-soaked murders, prohibition-era shootouts, and the kidnapping of one Canada's wealthiest brewers — plus, the bitter fight over whether drinking should be allowed at all. To truly understand Toronto, it helps to understand how this city has been shaped by centuries of people getting drunk.

The course began on September 27, but registration is still open! And thanks to Great Lakes Brewery, it comes with FREE BEER!

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Hanlan's Point Stadium

FROM SANDLOT TO SKYDOME: THE HISTORY OF BASEBALL IN TORONTO

Baseball was being played in Toronto more than a century before the Blue Jays were born. In this 4-week online course, we'll explore the game's evolution in our city — from the days when it was a working class sport played by "undesirables" to Joe Carter jumping for joy in front of 50,000 screaming fans. Along the way, we'll meet everyone from con artists and kidnappers to eccentric millionaires and feminist icons — the people who've made Toronto baseball what it is… and helped transform our city in the process.

This course will return in the late autumn of 2023!

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A very gross skyline

A VERY GROSS HISTORY OF TORONTO

Ewww. Sure, Toronto has a reputation for being a remarkably clean city. But it also has a long history of being a filthy, disgusting mess. From its days as a muddy frontier town with mysteriously green puddles collecting in its streets to hordes of rats swarming the slopes of the Don Valley, we'll spend four lectures digging into some of the ickiest, smelliest, slimiest stories Toronto history has to offer. And we'll learn a lot about our city and how it works in the process.

This course will return!

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From Hogtown To Downtown

FROM HOGTOWN TO DOWNTOWN: THE HISTORY OF TORONTO IN 10 WEEKS

The history of Toronto is filled with fascinating stories that teach us about ourselves and our community. In this ten-week online course, we'll explore the city's past from a time long before it was founded, through its days as a rowdy frontier town, and all the way to the sprawling megacity we know today. How did Toronto become the multicultural metropolis of the twenty-first century? The answer involves everything from duels to broken hearts to pigeons.

This course will return in 2024 or 2025!

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Notorious Murders

TORONTO'S MOST NOTORIOUS MURDERS

Toronto has a bloody past. It's filled with stories of chilling crimes stretching back to the days when the city was founded. And while these tales may send shivers up our spines, they also have a lot to teach us about the place we call home. In this online course, we'll explore the history of the city through the stories of its most infamous homicides. From gangsters and serial killers to housemaids and schoolchildren, we'll meet the murderers who've been terrorizing Toronto for more than 200 years.

This course will return!

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A Frustrating History of Getting Around Toronto

A FRUSTRATING HISTORY OF GETTING AROUND TORONTO

People in Toronto are no strangers to the challenges of getting around. Those frustrations have a long history in our city, stretching all the way back to its founding and beyond. In this four-week online course, we'll dive into some of the most fascinating Toronto transportation tales — from shipwrecks and stagecoaches to traffic jams and train derailments. We'll learn about the warships that once sailed the waters of Lake Ontario, the exciting summer when bicycles first arrived in our city, the portage trail that gave Toronto its name… and much, much more.

This course will return!

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LOVE, DEATH & CANADIAN HISTORY

Canadian history is much more than dry lists of dates and events. It's filled with gripping tales from the lives of historical figures who were people much like us — who fell in love, suffered broken hearts, were fascinated by death and devasted by loss. Those stories of love and death have a lot to teach us about our country. In this ten-week online course, we'll explore the history of this place from time immemorial to the recent past, uncovering torrid affairs and shocking scandals, duels, murders and executions. And we'll discover the ways in which those passionate and morbid tales have shaped the country we live in.

This course will return in 2024 or 2025!

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Give the gift of Toronto history

GIVE A COURSE AS A GIFT

Looking for a unique gift for a Toronto lover in your life? I thought you might be! So, now you can give them the gift of an online Toronto history course. Any one of my four- or five-week courses is available on topics that range from murder to ghosts to baseball to booze.

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If you have any other questions, feel free to email me at adam@torontodreamsproject.com and I'll be very happy to answer them.


MORE
The Toronto Book of the Dead and Book of Love
READ THE BOOKS
Dive into the history of Toronto with tales of romance and tragedy in The Toronto Book of the Dead and The Toronto Book of Love.
Canadiana
WATCH THE CANADIANA SERIES
An award-winning documentary series on the hunt for the most incredible stories in Canadian history. Free to stream.
High Park Forest School
TAKE A COURSE
Learn more about the history of Toronto with a variety of online courses. Registration is now open!
A seal yells at a writer
SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER
Toronto heritage news, fascinating tidbits, riveting historical anecdotes, and more — delivered right to your inbox.
Adam Bunch at the AGO
BOOK AS A SPEAKER
Unique Canadian storytelling that brings the history of our country and our city to life.
The Toronto Dreams Project
EXPLORE THE TORONTO DREAMS PROJECT
Fictional dreams about the history of Toronto left in the places where that history happened.
Adam Bunch Jane's Walk
BOOK A TOUR
Explore extraordinary tales from the history of Toronto with your own private guided tour.
William Lyon Mackenzie and Pirate Bill
READ THE TORONTO HISTORY BLOG
Fascinating stories about the history of the city — from rebels to rock stars.
Jackie Shane
LISTEN TO THE TORONTO HISTORICAL JUKEBOX
Experience the city's musical history through stories and songs from Toronto's past.