One of the most iconic sportspeople in Canadian history, Marilyn Bell, is mostly tied into the grand history of the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE). But her Mississauga connections are mostly forgotten.

Born in Halifax, her family came to Toronto in 1946. She was “discovered” by Gus Ryder at a 1950 competition at the CNE.

Ryder’s Lakeshore Swim Club held an annual swim meet at the Credit River in Port Credit. At age 12, Marilyn not only beat most of her own age group (14 and under), but also all but one of the 17-and-under girls who started their heat five minutes before her. In the years following, she’d coach during the summer for kids sponsored by the Streetsville Lions.

In 1954, she convinced Ryder of her ability as a marathon swimmer by swimming for 10 hours straight at Port Credit.

Returning home from a marathon, Ryder discovered that his swimmers had been snubbed by the CNE. The fair had invited American swimmer Florence Chadwick to become the first to swim Lake Ontario, and offered a $10,000 prize. The Toronto Daily Star sponsored Bell’s own entry, amid a Toronto newspaper war, and Port Credit’s Winnie Roach-Leuszler also tried the feat. Bell was the only swimmer to persevere, encouraged from the nearby boat by Clarkson swimmer Joan Cooke. Toronto’s ticker tape parade, held to celebrate the accomplishment, attracted 150,000 people.

The family moved in 1955 to Lincolnshire Boulevard in Orchard Heights, now in Mississauga's southeast. The Port Credit Weekly reported that she was “entranced by its woodsiness and is eager to live in the suburbs.” Bell was so famous, that a full-size replica of the family house was built at the 1955 National Home Show.

Toronto Township Reeve Mary Fix awarded her the “Key to the Township.” During Marilyn’s local residency, she swam the Juan del Fuca Strait in B.C., which she has described as the peak of her career.

Marilyn Bell’s stay in Toronto Township, now Mississauga, was brief. She left for university in 1956, marrying a year later. She's lived in the United States for much of her adult life, in relative anonymity.

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Throwback Thursday is provided by Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (PAMA). PAMA is a place to explore, learn and make connections about Peel Region’s culture and heritage.