Toronto Harbour c.1907

Exhaust darkens the sun on the Toronto Harbour around 1907.  The ferry in the background is likely either the Primrose or the Mayflower, which shuttled visitors back and forth from the Toronto Islands from 1890 to 1938.

Centre Island, 1907

Fashionable ladies canoeing near Centre Island Bridge early in the 20th Century.

Boats on the Bay, 1911

Coal-fired ships on Toronto Harbour.  The ferry in the background right may be either the Bluebell or the Trillium, the latter of which would have been in service for one year at the point this photo was taken, and is still in service today.

Boats on the Bay, c. 1910

Toronto Bay, c. 1910 - now commonly called the Toronto Harbour.  The Toronto Islands are visible on the horizon.

At this point in the city's history, Front Street was so named because it was the front street on the water.  Lake Shore Boulevard and Queen's Quay did not yet extend downtown, and the areas of Ashbridges Bay and the Redpath Sugar factory were still open water; the land for those projects was created following landfill projects in the decades after this picture was taken, meaning these boats plied the waters where there are now condos, cars, and parks.