Hoggs Hollow is one of the more affluent areas of Toronto. Hoggs Hollow is named after Joseph Hogg, a Scotsman who settled in the area in 1824. Hogg operated a whiskey distillery and a grist mill, and was viewed as the most successful of all the millers in the valley. In 1856, John and William Hogg, sons to James Hogg, subdivided their father's estate under the name "Hoggs Hollow". With the area full of quick sand, swamps and bogs, only a few houses were actually built at this time, however. the subdivision stood in close proximity to the historic village of York Mills. The community, at the time, was largely made up of Scottish, Irish and English immigrants. Established in the late 1850s, the (Jolly) Miller Tavern (originally the York Mills Hotel) was a favourite resting place for traveller's to the area at the time, and a favourite watering hole for many, today....and because this is a GEOcache...on October 15, 1954, this area was flooded as a result of Hurricane Hazel, and many attempts have since been made to manage the watershed area.
Loretto Abbey CHS is a prominent feature of this neighbourhood. Established by the Loretto Sisters in 1847, it is one of Toronto's oldest educational institutions. The Loretto Sisters were founded by Mary Ward, who advocated excellent education for young women so that they might “do great things”, and this has always formed part of the ethos of Loretto schools. Invited by Michael Power, the first Catholic Bishop of Toronto, the Loretto sisters arrived from Rathfarnham, Ireland, and established a school on Duke Street. The school was named after their previous home of Loreto Abbey near Dublin. In 1927, the school moved to its current location in Hoggs Hollow, a Gothic Tudor style building. Established as a private school, the Ontario government began funding the final three years of high school in 1985, and as a result, the Abbey ceased to be a private school. In 2011, the Loretto sisters agreed to sell the entire Abbey (with the exception of the infirmary) to the TCDSB. Toronto City Council intends on designating the lands and buildings under the Ontario Heritage Act. Fun fact: "Jill Abbott" (Y&R) is an alumnae.
To access this cache, you can walk up "The Path" from York Mills station, or park in the neighbourhood (note the restrictions).
Cache is a 35 mm film canister. Please bring a pen and leave as found. Watch out for the ladies of Loretto when school is in - be stealthy. Happy caching!
p.s. if you figure out who Sandy MacGregor is/was, do let me know...
Congrats to Bouffe FTF @ 10:44am on Feb 1, 2016