German Mills Creek

German Mills Creek is a river in the municipalities of Markham, Richmond Hill, Toronto and Vaughan in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Great Lakes Basin and is a left tributary of the East Branch Don River. It originates in Vaughan (near Bathurst Street and the King–Vaughan Town Line), flows south through Richmond Hill and Markham, and empties into the East Branch Don River in the East Don Parklands in Toronto, south of Steeles Avenue between Bayview Avenue and Leslie Street. It is part of a number of streams, swamps and swales located near the Oak Ridges Moraine.

It is named after the pioneer settlement German Mills, founded by William Berczy in 1796. The settlement disappeared after a few years, but the creek retained the name. The Richmond Hill portions of the river snake through residential development with a very narrow greenbelt on either side of the creek. The Markham sections run through a mix of residential, commercial and light industrial areas.

Duncan Woods Creek is a small left tributary that flows northwest to German Mills Creek in Toronto, at the southeast corner of Steeles Avenue and Leslie Street.

There are a few undeveloped portions along the creek, mostly as parks in Markham.

The creek's approximate length is 10 kilometres (6 mi).

Part of a series on the
Don Valley
Rivers
  • Don River
  • Castle Frank Brook
  • German Mills Creek
  • Taylor-Massey Creek
Parks
  • Edwards Gardens
  • Riverdale Park
History
  • Crothers Woods
  • Don Valley Brick Works
  • John Taylor
  • Todmorden Mills
Environment
  • Friends of the Don East
  • Task Force to Bring Back the Don
  • Toronto and Region Conservation Authority

Read more about German Mills Creek:  Parks, Communities, Development

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