Have you ever wondered why Milton had a street named after John Cabot of all people?
Each week, we speak with Milton Historical Society President John Challinor II 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 McGuffin Gate and Moorelands Crescent. This week, we’re focusing on Cabot Trail, as suggested by a listener, and Gollins Drive. Starting with Cabot, he was an Italian navigator and explorer who arrived in what would be Newfoundland in 1497. Challinor says the pioneering traveler was the subject of a 1970’s Milton research project.
Cabot is among roughly a half dozen of other names that were assigned as street names because of the school project. We’re currently working on acquiring that full list of names.
Moving on to Gollins Drive, Challinor says the local street is named after a former local painter and community band member.
He notes that Gollins would have been a commercial painter, working on buildings in the community.
According to Challinor, community bands were very common in small municipalities in the late 1800s/early 1900s due to cost saving measures. There’s just one that remains active within Halton, and it’s located in Acton.
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.
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.
