Archeology of the Spit
Most people are familiar with the legacy of the Leslie Street Spit as a construction waste dump where ecological succession took over to produce vibrant habitat. That’s one of the things that makes it so fascinating! But the history of the Spit is far more complex, and archeological research offers an enriched understanding of the material composition and history of the site. Research conducted on two portions of the Spit that were formed in 1964 and 1980 establishes that homes and personal items were also dumped here. Analyzing archeological findings alongside planning and development records yields a more nuanced grasp of the Spit’s constitution. We can learn about the points of origin of the clay and minerals used in the building materials characterizing Toronto’s waves of development. We can learn about the buildings that are discarded at the Spit. And we can learn about the communities that were cleared to make way for new buildings and development projects. Archeological research helps us understand the route that these materials travelled, extracted from the pits and quarries on the outskirts of Toronto, formulated into building materials and homes, and finally rendered into landfill that extends the frontier of the city into Lake Ontario as a green refuge.