How much do you know about the history of Milton’s street names?
Each Monday, we dive into the stories local street names. This is thanks to the tremendous work done by Milton Historical Society President John Challinor. If you weren’t aware, Challinor and the late great historian, Jim Dills, wrote the book on Milton street names, having written Milton Streets back in 2007.
Last week, we covered Duncan Lane, Knees Point, Wrigglesworth Crescent. This week, we are focusing on Eager Road, Powys Street, and the listener-suggested Cedar Hedge Road.
Beginning with Eager Road, Challinor says it’s named after the Town’s first ever treasurer.
He adds that Eager was also a big part of the Milton Mechanics Institute, which later became the Milton Public Library. Challinor says Eager was so involved in the early days of the town back in the 1800’s that it’s hard not to acknowledge the role he played in helping develop the community into what it eventually became.
Our next Milton road is Powys Street. Challinor says Mrs. Powys was a well-known high school teacher turned Councillor.
Powys was one of the original Regional Councillors for Milton and helped establish the Region of Halton. Challinor says Milton has benefited immensely from that transition in the 70s, focusing on the development of the Halton Regional Police Service and the coverage of regional infrastructure.
Our third and final street this week was recommended by Milton Councillor Colin Best. He wanted to know more about Cedar Hedge Road. Challinor says the name comes from an old farm that used to be located in the area. The farm is no longer there as it has been turned into a subdivision, but a trail and park are located on the northern side of the street.
Councillor Best also wanted to know about the history of several local hamlets, so with the holidays coming up, we will be doing a special edition of Street Name Monday next week.
If you’re looking to understand how Milton’s streets were named, you should check out the book written by Challinor and Dills. Published by the Milton Historical Society back in 2007, it sold out in about six weeks and has since been long out of print. That said, according to Challinor, you can still find a copy at the Milton Public Library. With nearly 15-years having passed since the initial publication, and the extensive town growth in that time, an updated book is likely to come.
You can also take a walk with the late Jim Dills down Milton’s Main Street in 2002.
If you have a suggestion on what you’d like to learn about next week, let us know! We’re currently working on names that we find interesting, as well as suggested names. You can message our Facebook page, Twitter account, Instagram page, or even email us at News1013@LocalRadio.ca. Otherwise, we’ll just continue asking about local street names that interest us.
Hey, things are changing for us here at MiltonNow.ca! If you have a news tip or story idea, you can now send us a heads up via email at News1013@LocalRadio.ca. If you’d like to get ahold of me personally, shoot me a message at Cameron.Wilkinson@LocalRadio.ca. We’re in the business of content creation, so no idea is a bad idea.
