Toronto #14: The Distillery and the Bankers


In 1834, when Toronto had a population of 9,000 people there were already 300 taverns. New immigrants William Gooderham and James Worts seized the opportunity to set up their own distillery and by the 1870s were the largest producers of whiskey in the world. They built right on the waterfront to take advantage of the ships and railways for distribution and when the First World War broke out turned their operation to produce gunpowder for the Navy. They put their wealth to good use building Little Trinity Church and set up the Bank of Toronto. The new Bank president James Austin moved his family to Spadina House, in what was then, the countryside. See the Toronto 175 category for more episodes.

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