Nature’s Past – Episode 1: The Environmental History of the Don River

On this pilot episode of the show, we introduce listeners to the study environmental history by speaking with Jennifer Bonnell, a graduate student at the University of Toronto who is researching the history of Toronto's Don River. Jennifer's research spans the long history of the Don River and its place in the social and environmental history of the city. From nineteenth-century grist mills to Depression-era hobo jungles to Hurricane Hazel in 1954, we find out more about this river valley on Toronto's eastside.

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Nature’s Past Episode  01 – click to play | right click, ‘save as’ to download

On this pilot episode of the show, we introduce listeners to the study environmental history by speaking with Jennifer Bonnell, a graduate student at the University of Toronto who is researching the history of Toronto’s Don River. Jennifer’s research spans the long history of the Don River and its place in the social and environmental history of the city. From nineteenth-century grist mills to Depression-era hobo jungles to Hurricane Hazel in 1954, we find out more about this river valley on Toronto’s eastside.

Also, we speak with Adam Crymble, the website administrator for the Network in Canadian History & Environment, about web resources for environmental history at niche-canada.org.

Works Cited:

  • Nash, Roderick. Wilderness and the American Mind. 4th ed. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001.
  • Worster, Donald, ed. The Ends of the Earth: Perspectives on Modern Environmental History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988.
  • Crosby, Alfred W. “The Past and Present of Environmental History.” American Historical Review 100 (1995): 1177-89.

Music Credits:

Other Contributor(s): 
  • Jennifer Bonnell
  • Adam Crymble
Citation: 

Kheraj, Sean. “Episode 1: The Environmental History of the Don River.” Nature’s Past. 10 December 2008

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Sean Kheraj

Associate Professor at York University, Department of History
Sean Kheraj is the director of the Network in Canadian History and Environment. He's an associate professor in the Department of History and associate dean of programs in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies at York University. His research and teaching focuses on environmental and Canadian history. He is also the host and producer of Nature's Past, NiCHE's audio podcast series and he blogs at http://seankheraj.com.

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