CityPlace in Toronto, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Isabella Valancy Crawford

(1850-1887)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 28, 2022

1. Isabella Valancy Crawford Marker

Inscription.
Considered among our finest poets, Isabella Crawford was born in Ireland and came to Canada with her parents about 1858. After settling first in Paisley, Ontario, the family lived later in Lakefield and Peterborough. As a young woman Isabella became fascinated by backwoods life and Indian legends. Following her father's death, she and her mother moved to Toronto. There they subsisted on her meagre earnings from light verse and 'formula fiction' that appeared in Canadian and American newspapers. One privately-printed book of serious poetry, 'Old Spookeses Pass, Malcom's Katie and Other Poems' appeared before her untimely death at 57 John Street. Full recognition came later, however, with the publication of her collected poems, which were admired for their evocative images of the lush and sparkling wilderness.

'Darkness built its wigwam walls close around the camp'

Erected 1989 by Toronto Historical Board.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Women. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Toronto Heritage series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1850.

Location. 43° 38.627′ N, 79° 23.33′ W. Marker is in Toronto, Ontario. It is in CityPlace.

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It is on Front Street West just west of John Street, on the left when traveling west. Marker is mounted on a stone post at the north end of Isabella Valancy Crawford Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 299 Front Street West, Toronto ON M5V 2Y1, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Toronto

and on the Golden Horseshoe.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 25 Years of Blue Jays Baseball (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Fanny “Bobbie” Rosenfeld (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Reinhart Vinegars RVLX 101 (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Toronto Locomotive and Car Facilities of the Canadian Pacific Railway (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); John Street Roundhouse / La Rotonde de la Rue John (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); George Crookshank House (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); The Railway Lands (approx. 0.3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Toronto.

Also see . . .
1. Isabella Valancy Crawford.

Major 19th-century Canadian poet and one of the first important woman poets in Canada. She is especially noted for her vivid descriptions of the Canadian landscape. She spent most of her girlhood in the picturesque Kawartha Lakes district of Ontario.

(Submitted on March 2, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Isabella Valancy Crawford.

In 1869 the family
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 28, 2022

2. Isabella Valancy Crawford Marker
(marker is mounted on stone post at north end of park)
moved to Peterborough, and Crawford began to write and publish poems and stories. Her first published poem, "A Vesper Star", appeared in The Toronto Mail on Christmas Eve, 1873. When Dr. Crawford died, on 3 July 1875, the three women – Isabella, her mother, and her sister Emma, all who were left in the household – became dependent on Isabella's literary earnings. After Emma died of tuberculosis, Isabella and her mother moved in 1876 to Toronto, which was the centre of the publishing world in Canada.
Isabella Valancy Crawford was designated a Person of National Historic Significance in 1947. A small garden park in downtown Toronto, at Front and John Streets (near the CN Tower), has been named Isabella Valancy Crawford Park.

(Submitted on March 2, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Isabella Valancy Crawford Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 28, 2022

3. Isabella Valancy Crawford Park

Credits. This page was last revised on March 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 28, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 316 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 2, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.