Fav of CanadaFav of Canada
  • Home
  • News
  • Money
  • Living
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Sci-Tech
  • Travel
  • More
    • Sports
    • Web Stories
    • Global
    • Press Release

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest Canada's trends and updates directly to your inbox.

What's On

211 launches new N.B. services for victims of gender-based and intimate partner violence

June 29, 2025

Rainbows to deck Toronto streets for Pride parade amid fears for 2026 cash crunch

June 29, 2025

2 teens in critical condition after being electrocuted in abandoned Montreal building

June 29, 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Fav of CanadaFav of Canada
  • Home
  • News
  • Money
  • Living
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Sci-Tech
  • Travel
  • More
    • Sports
    • Web Stories
    • Global
    • Press Release
Fav of CanadaFav of Canada
You are at:Home » The history of the horse and human water fountains in Toronto
Living

The history of the horse and human water fountains in Toronto

By favofcanada.caApril 12, 2025No Comments3 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Telegram WhatsApp Email Tumblr LinkedIn
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Email

Long before Toronto’s streets were jam-packed with cars and motorcycles, they were filled with carriages and horse-drawn streetcars.

In the 19th and early 20th century, horses were one of the city’s primary modes of transportation, and just like today’s vehicles need gas stations and charging stations, horses needed water troughs to keep them going through their long journeys.

As a result, there were tons of horse and human water fountains across the city at major intersections during this time, and many of them even featured a tiny basin for dogs at their base.

Horses having a drink at a Toronto water fountain in the 1910s. Photo: Archives of Ontario.

One of the last surviving examples in Ontario still stands in St. James Park, along King Street East near Church Street.

Manufactured by the Canada Foundry Company Ltd., the cast-iron structure dates back to the late 1800s. Facing south toward King Street is a large trough once filled by two taps, offering water to horses that frequently stopped by while making deliveries or transporting passengers to the nearby St. Lawrence Market.

horse human water fountain toronto

Fountain at the southwest corner of Parliament and Queen in 1914. Photo: City of Toronto Archives.

Humans could also use the fountain on the other, park-facing side by dipping a chain tin cup into the basin. The water run-off also pooled up in a small container at ground level for dogs or other small animals. While it might seem strange now, it wasn’t unusual to see a horse and its rider quenching their thirst at the same time.

horse human water fountain toronto

Fountain at Queen and Broadview. Photo: City of Toronto Archives. 

The fountains were once a common feature at major intersections across the city, including King and Dufferin, Bathurst and Bloor, and Kingston Road and Warden Avenue. University Avenue, in particular, was lined with them well into the 1940s, when horse-drawn deliveries were still part of daily life.

However, as indoor plumbing and public hygiene practices began to shift, shared horse and human water fountains gradually disappeared and were viewed as outdated and unsanitary.

horse human water fountain toronto

The horse and human water fountain at St. James Park in Toronto still stands today. Photo: Google Street View.

While most have since been removed, the fountain that remains just outside of St. James Park serves as a reminder of a completely different era in Toronto’s history, and similar fountains still stand in other areas of Ontario, including Parry Sound and Orangeville, where one can be found right outside of town hall.

Related Articles

‘A no-brainer’: Some bosses happily giving staff Monday off along with Canada Day

By favofcanada.caJune 28, 2025

Meet Labubu, the wildly collectible doll that’s causing a worldwide frenzy

By favofcanada.caJune 24, 2025

Victim of fatal Alberta rock slide identified as 33-year-old man from Surrey, B.C.

By favofcanada.caJune 23, 2025

Canada Strong Pass grants free admission to national parks, historic sites this summer

By favofcanada.caJune 16, 2025

Screen time trapping kids in ‘vicious cycle’ of bad behaviour: study

By favofcanada.caJune 12, 2025

Daylight saving time 2025: Here’s when you should set your clocks forward

By favofcanada.caJune 11, 2025
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Don't Miss

Rainbows to deck Toronto streets for Pride parade amid fears for 2026 cash crunch

By favofcanada.caJune 29, 2025

The streets of Toronto will be filled with rainbows as the annual Pride parade winds…

2 teens in critical condition after being electrocuted in abandoned Montreal building

June 29, 2025

Blue Jays put Schultz on 15-day IL, recall Bruihl

June 29, 2025

One man killed, another person seriously injured in Vaughan, Ont. crash

June 29, 2025
Stay In Touch
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Vimeo
Our Picks

Lululemon sues Costco for selling alleged dupes of its products

By favofcanada.caJune 29, 2025

The future is being written for listening to the radio in cars

By favofcanada.caJune 29, 2025

Cruise ship passengers flood Vancouver during busiest weekend of season

By favofcanada.caJune 29, 2025
About Us
About Us

Fav of Canada is your one-stop website for the latest Canada's trends and updates, follow us now to get the news that matters to you.

We're accepting new partnerships right now.

Email Us: [email protected]
Contact: +44 7741 486006

Our Picks

211 launches new N.B. services for victims of gender-based and intimate partner violence

June 29, 2025

Rainbows to deck Toronto streets for Pride parade amid fears for 2026 cash crunch

June 29, 2025

2 teens in critical condition after being electrocuted in abandoned Montreal building

June 29, 2025

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest Canada's trends and updates directly to your inbox.

Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest TikTok
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise
  • Contact
© 2025 Fav of Canada. All Rights Reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.