Snapshot of Swimming History in Ontario
As the summer heats up, Ontarians cool down in the water! To find out where swimmers of the past made waves in the province, I turned to Digital Archive Ontario. It has over 100,000 digitized photos, maps, postcards and other items related to Ontario's past.
Swimming as sport
While there’s evidence that humans have swum for centuries in spots all over the world, swimming became popular in Western countries in the 19th century. Long celebrated for its health benefits, swimming became more of a focus in sports after this time.
In Canada, swim meets were organized by individual swim clubs like the Dolphin Club of Toronto beginning in the 1870's and the Canadian Amateur Swimming Association (now Swimming/Natation Canada) formed in 1909. You can learn more about the history of speed swimming in The Canadian Encyclopedia.
Beaches, pools and docks became an important part of the public landscape.
The Mnjikaning Fish Weirs
Of course, long before public beaches as we know them today were established in Ontario, waterfronts played an important role in the lives of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities.
One example is the Mnjikaning Fish Weirs, located between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe, near Rama First Nation. Designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1982, the fish fence has been in use from about 3300 B.C.E. It is the oldest known site of its kind in North America. The website for the Chippewas of Rama First Nation notes that “the Mnjikaning Fish Fence Circle was established in 1993 by community members and area residents for the purpose of protecting and promoting the weirs.”
Competitions & open water swimming
As swimming became more common in Ontario, competitions increased in popularity. Both open water distance swimming and, later on, swim meets took place across the province. I swam competitively for many years and have fond memories of stepping on to the pool deck at 5 AM!
Famously, Toronto-born Marilyn Bell — a much better athlete than I am — made swimming cool in the province when she became the first person known to swim across Lake Ontario in 1954. She was just 16 years old.
Pools
Swimming pools come in all types. They can be family-friendly splash pads for cooling down. Or multi-million venues for Olympic events. There was even a pool at Canadian Forces Base Borden ("Camp Borden") used to train troops during the First World War.
In 1925, Toronto became home to what was reportedly the world's largest outdoor public swimming pool. The Sunnyside pool was part of Sunnyside Amusement Park. The pool opened a few years after the Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion, a changing station for Lake Ontario swimmers.
In 1975, the largest pool in Ontario became the newly opened pool in the Petticoat Creek Conservation Area in Pickering. At the time, the 1.4 acre pool was advertised as having enough space for 3,000 bathers! It was six feet deep in the middle and had a dozen lifeguards on duty.
Representation in our historical records related to swimming
You might have noticed that all of the photos above feature people who appear to be white. Many of our digitized items do not necessarily have Black, Indigenous or Persons of Colour (BIPOC) represented. (Learn more about decolonizing archives.)
Historically, BIPOC communities (particularly Black communities) have faced many barriers arising from racism that prevent them from swimming competitively. Athletes like Debbie Armstead, the first Black Canadian swimmer to qualify for the Olympic Games (1980) and a coach for many years in Windsor, Ontario, are celebrated for breaking barriers in the sport.
As the summer heats up, I hope all Ontarians get a chance to enjoy the water. What’s your favourite local swimming spot?
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