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

German Mills Creek
View of Leslie Street bridge spanning over German Mills Creek
Location of the mouth of the creek in Toronto
Etymology	Named after the pioneer settlement German Mills
Location
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
Region	Greater Toronto Area
Municipalities	Toronto, Markham, Richmond Hill, Vaughan
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Vaughan
• coordinates	43°54′42″N 79°28′54″W
• elevation	316 m (1,037 ft)
Mouth	Don River
• location	Toronto
• coordinates	43°47′48″N 79°22′56″W
• elevation	152 m (499 ft)
Length	10 km (6.2 mi)
Basin features
River system	Great Lakes Basin
Tributaries
• left	Duncan Woods Creek

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.[2]

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