This is the first of a two-part look at the old section of the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, the most famous and one of the oldest cemeteries in The GTA. In November 1876, Mount Pleasant Cemetery opened. It was located on the distant outskirts of Toronto and had more than twelve miles (19km) of carriage drives along rolling hills and blue lakes filled with ducks and swans. With the growth of the GTA since then, the cemetery is now located in the centre of the city of Toronto. The cemetery still has many miles of walking paths, interspersed with fountains, statues, botanical gardens, and rare and distinct trees. It is the final resting place of more than 168,000 persons, including heroic veterans, medical pioneers, musicians, powerful business people, politicians, clergymen, sports luminaries, and more. Among those whose graves can be found here are: Frederick Banting & Charles Best (co-discoverers of Insulin), Glenn Gould (pianist & composer), Timothy Eaton and Robert Simpson (department store magnates), Ted Rogers (founder of Rogers Communications), William Lyon Mackenzie King (one of Canada's greatest Prime Ministers, leading the nation through World War II), 5 Premiers of Ontario, 5 Lieutenant Governors of Ontario, 6 Mayors of Toronto, and many more. The old section of the cemetery is filled with rolling hills, winding roads, small surprising treasures, and large imposing monuments to greatness ... let's have a look around during an early winter afternoon.
