Over the past 5 years Markland Wood has enjoyed the arrival of a great number of new families, many of whom may not be familiar with our history, including our street names, forests and parks. Many have asked us what was here before Markland Wood was built as a community; so here are a few things about our interesting past. Markland Wood has existed as a community since 1960 and was built in stage
s after July 1958 by Mark Cavotti and family associated with Leaside Construction. Part of the land tract to the west bordering the Creek was considered unsuitable for house construction. This roughly 100 acres was developed into the golf club. Al Balding was the first club pro and PGA pros like Jack Nicklaus have played here. The layout of the development is similar to an English village with Markland Dr. a circular roadway with Millwood Park as its village centre. The Markland logo, seen on the two welcome signs on Bloor St. West, reflects this ‘circle’ of friends, and has on it as well a majestic tree, a reminder of the cherished woodlands and tree stands in our community. Silverthorn Forest is named after John Silverthorn, who established a farm on this area in 1811, which continued for almost 148 years through 5 successive generations of Silverthorns. You can see a plaque commemorating their ownership, presence and contributions here near McDonald’s on the south-west corner of Mill Rd. John Silverthorn built a saw and grist mill on the Etobicoke Creek shortly after 1811 near the south end of Mill Road. To bring product to his mill, it was he who built Mill Road running from Burnhamthorpe Road south to Etobicoke Creek where the mill was located, and even further south to Dundas Highway. The connection of Mill Road to Dundas Street West was cut off by Hurricane Hazel in 1954 and was never reconnected. Memory of the Mill is also captured in the name of our central park, Millwood Park. Silverthorn’s farm was 410 acres, of which 160 acres were left as forest. The 3rd Silverthorn to inherit the farm, Newman Silverthorn (1829-1918) felt very strongly that the forest should be preserved. In his Will, he stipulated that no living tree could be cut down by his heirs, except for the provision of a road. What is now left as an intact section of the overall forest can be seen and appreciated as Silverthorn Forest at the north-west sector of Millwood Park, facing Silverthorn Bush Crescent. As the years went on the natural Silverthorn Forest became well known to the people of Etobicoke and when the farm was sold for development in July 1958 to Mr. Cavotti for $3,000,000, there was loud objection to the possibility of the destruction of the Forest and tree stands strewn throughout the farm. People and politicians urged Mr. Cavotti to be respectful. Letters in the Etobicoke Guardian at the time spoke especially of the Silverthorn Forest in what would become Millwood Park, and wrote of the invaluable trees, flowers and ground cover, in some cases even today, very rare in Ontario. Quoting one article in part, the author noted after touring the Forest “...seeing great, grey beech trees that tower over slender maples. Hemlock, pine and spruce drop their aromatic cones to the thick brown leaf carpet. Giant elms spread their fanlike branches, on which enormous crows’s nests rest. In the woods a rose pink covering of spring beauty appears each Spring. Blue, white and pink hepaticas peep through brown leaves, the pure white bloodroot and wild columbine cluster here and there; hundreds of jack-in-the-pulpits and myriads of white trilliums bloom in May and June...”
Mr. Cavotti listened to peoples’ concerns. He wrote that “I love trees. I’ll make sure that we will spare every tree we can and see that every house lot has a few on it.” To try to ensure retention Mr. Cavotti asked potential landowners to sign a contract that they would preserve any trees on their property. In 2006 a City Urban Forest Planner toured Silverthorn Forest and wrote that “...I see trees here which are scarce and in some cases, quite extraordinary in size. For example, the Burr Oak tree at the edge of the forest ...measures 116 cm in diameter and is probably about 100 years old…”. - due considerably to Newman Silverthorn’s Will forbidding random felling. At the end of the day after all of Markland Wood was built, apart from tree stands along rivers, the only remaining forest that was intact tract was 4 acres at the northwest quadrant of Millwood Park, Silverthorn Forest. In some cases, outside Silverthorn Forest itself, a few of the original trees still stand in the front and backyards of some of our residents. Over the decades the impact of the Silverthorn Forest has remained strong in our community. Your Markland Wood Homeowners Association (MWHA), in conjunction with the City of Toronto and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), continues to nurture and protect the Forest and our invaluable trees and vegetation throughout our community. The Silverthorn family played a major role in the area in which we now live. In recognition of this, you will note the name of our high school - Silverthorn Collegiate Institute and the street fronting Silverthorn Forest on its west side is Silverthorn Bush Crescent. Please share this information with your neighbours. If anyone has historical insights, please let the President know at [email protected]. We at the MWHA are very proud of our community heritage, and of the signs of it that are preserved for us today. We want everyone to feel this way. Indeed, it is the hope of your MWHA that all of us will feel a strong pride in our community and that we will continue the decades - long work of protecting the quality of life we enjoy here. May we all remember and cherish our blessings.
