Lost Road: Indian Line Road

[LOSTOntario]

So I realized after looking closely at aerial photos of Indian Line at Claireville, that my assumptions about the bridges there were wrong. I had thought that the Indian Line bridge was washed out by Hurricane Hazel in October 1954 and replaced by the Bailey Bridge that I was so familiar with driving over in the 1970's. The aerial photos clearly show that although there was extensive flooding in 1954, the bridge at Indian Line was NOT washed out by Hurricane Hazel, and it was there until construction of the Claireville Dam in 1963/64. At that point, they built a detour road with the Bailey Bridge - see above, so the traffic could still travel around the dam construction. I also had not realized that it was almost 10 years after Hurricane Hazel before the dam was built. It was clear by the width of the bridge north of the dam, and the alignment of the road over the dam, that the original plan was to restore Indian Line back to that alignment and that the road would travel over the dam, and the Bailey Bridge would be removed as it was temporary. For some reason (probably changing their mind about traffic crossing the dam), the alignment was never put back to the dam road, and the 'temporary' Bailey Bridge remained in faithful service until 1983 when the 427 was extended. Almost 20 years that single lane Bailey Bridge was the main route up Indian Line. You can clearly see the Bailey Bridge in the photo above, although I have still never found any photos of it from the ground. It was my daily route in the late 1970's and I recall stopping at the traffic lights there that let traffic alternate on the single lane.

Here in 1983, you can see that the Bailey Bridge has been removed.

 

[adma]

So I realized after looking closely at aerial photos of Indian Line at Claireville, that my assumptions about the bridges there were wrong. I had thought that the Indian Line bridge was washed out by Hurricane Hazel in October 1954 and replaced by the Bailey Bridge that I was so familiar with driving over in the 1970's. The aerial photos clearly show that although there was extensive flooding in 1954, the bridge at Indian Line was NOT washed out by Hurricane Hazel, and it was there until construction of the Claireville Dam in 1963/64. At that point, they built a detour road with the Bailey Bridge - see above, so the traffic could still travel around the dam construction. I also had not realized that it was almost 10 years after Hurricane Hazel before the dam was built. It was clear by the width of the bridge north of the dam, and the alignment of the road over the dam, that the original plan was to restore Indian Line back to that alignment and that the road would travel over the dam, and the Bailey Bridge would be removed as it was temporary. For some reason (probably changing their mind about traffic crossing the dam), the alignment was never put back to the dam road, and the 'temporary' Bailey Bridge remained in faithful service until 1983 when the 427 was extended. Almost 20 years that single lane Bailey Bridge was the main route up Indian Line. You can clearly see the Bailey Bridge in the photo above, although I have still never found any photos of it from the ground. It was my daily route in the late 1970's and I recall stopping at the traffic lights there that let traffic alternate on the single lane.

By "the bridge north of the dam", do you mean the railway bridge? That *was* the path of Indian Line--it and the dam access road "converged" north of the dam, short of the bridge.

And if the main road was meant to travel over the dam, they would have made the dam wider (and I have no idea whether they intended to) That they continued to have that bottleneck Bailey Bridge might have been because they were already anticipating the 427's extension, and didn't want to jump the gun with a premature "permanent" crossing in that location...

 

[LOSTOntario]

Yes, the railway bridge, and I forgot that it did route that way. I guess we'll never know if they considered running over the dam or not, but it was a bit odd that they left the Bailey Bridge for so long. You are probably right that they left it knowing that eventually 427 would push up there and I guess traffic didn't really justify putting in a new bridge.

 

[Lone Primate]

You can clearly see the Bailey Bridge in the photo above, although I have still never found any photos of it from the ground. It was my daily route in the late 1970's and I recall stopping at the traffic lights there that let traffic alternate on the single lane.

That must be fascinating to you now. I wish I could have experienced that. I was still a kid living in Nova Scotia back then. I think, but I'm not really sure (because I wasn't really paying attention), that sometime around 1990 my buddy (who I mention in my Fifth Line post) once or twice drove us up Indian Line over that railroad bridge you can glimpse from the 427. We had a couple of friends sharing a place on Morningside Drive at the time and to get to it, we had to use that traffic light just south of Finch. At least a couple of times, we went roaming around there, and I'm reasonably sure we made it up to Albion Road over the RR bridge. But to see a Bailey Bridge there, like the one on Finch near the zoo... wow. I can only imagine.

 

[LOSTOntario]

It was pretty cool, but I kick myself now for not taking photos. I guess it was always there for me, and I never thought about it being gone until it was. I must have used it hundreds of times.

 

[rockybudgeboa]

I remember that there used to be a Horse Back riding place at what is now Humberwood drive. Used to go there as a tween and teen

 

[Alma]

Here is a photo I took in 1970. It is Indian Line at Morningstar. I hope this uploads so you can see it! I lived at Humber Valley Equestrians, just past Circle C Ranch. See Woodbine wow all that open space.

 

[rockybudgeboa]

Sadly, the photo did not load. I would LOVE LOVE to see it

 

[Alma]

Sadly, the photo did not load. I would LOVE LOVE to see it

Hey, yes this happened last time too. Sorry! I dont know how to upload properly. I will try again tomorrow afternoon. I just found my pile of photos from back then so have some interesting ones of humber valley before humber college too.

 

[rockybudgeboa]

Hey, yes this happened last time too. Sorry! I dont know how to upload properly. I will try again tomorrow afternoon. I just found my pile of photos from back then so have some interesting ones of humber valley before humber college too.

I would really just LOVE to see those too

 

[Alma]

Here is a photo I took in 1970. It is Indian Line at Morningstar. I hope this uploads so you can see it! I lived at Humber Valley Equestrians, just past Circle C Ranch. See Woodbine wow all that open space.

 

[rockybudgeboa]

View attachment 302940

Aww Memories. Too bad you do not have photos of the two horse farms Thank you so much for posting this

 

[Alma]

Aww Memories. Too bad you do not have photos of the two horse farms Thank you so much for posting this

Thank goodness it posted. Yes, I do have pics of both but closee images.

 

[Lone Primate]

Thank goodness it posted. Yes, I do have pics of both but closee images.

That's really something. Even me, as far back as I remember the area, it was the signaled left turn from the northbound 427 at Morningside, which is long gone now. Even the grassy divider between northbound and southbound that showed the turn lane for years is gone now. It's really weird thinking would be looking from the lip of the "new" bridge over the 427 now.

 

[JasonParis]

As a former Maltonite, thank you for this picture. I'd love to see more!