It’s time for your weekly local history lesson with Milton Historical Society President John Challinor.
Each week, we speak with Challinor to gather information and details about the namesakes of our roads. If you weren’t aware, he and the late great historian, Jim Dills, wrote the book on Milton street names, writing Milton Streets back in 2007.
Recently, we covered Gordon Heights and McNiven Road. This week, we’re focusing on McGeachie Drive and McCuaig Drive. Starting with McGeachie Drive, Challinor says the local road was named after a man who helped turn Milton into the town it is today.
McGeachie had previously served as the Clerk Treasurer in Acton for several years. Challinor notes that while Milton has grown significantly more than its North Halton neighbour over recent decades, Milton was a lot more comparable in size to Acton during this period than it is now.
Challinor says McGeachie had a key role in setting the Town’s new boundaries.
Moving on to McCuaig Drive, Challinor says the local street is named after one of Milton’s leaders who passed too early.
He contends that McCuaig could have been Mayor of Milton if not for his sudden death at the age of 54 from a heart attack. The amount of figurative hats that he wore likely played a part in adding stress to his life. Challinor says the death affected Milton for many years, and to this day, the town still needs a figure like Bob in some capacity.
He says McCuaig’s children still live in the area and have grown up to become fantastic human beings.
Good people are raised by good people.
If you’re looking to understand how Milton’s streets are 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. 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 we find interesting.
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