Anyone can be the mayor of Milton – even the milkman!
Every Friday, 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 Inglis Drive and Lisgar Garden. This week, we’re focusing on Irving Terrace and Lingen Crescent.
Starting with Irving, Challinor says the namesake had a few career paths, including owning a local creamery.
It’s been 43-years since Milton had a mayor who wasn’t named Gord Krantz. It’s because of that reason that Challinor can only speculate that losing your spot as mayor is a little deflating to the ego. He remarks that you have to have a certain mindset to re-enter the role of a councillor after having served as the mayor. It’s also noted that Irving clearly wanted to serve his community seeing as how he eventually worked as the Warden of Halton County, a position equivalent to today’s Chair of Halton Region.
Our second street this week is Lingen Crescent. Challinor says the namesake was a former Milton Citizen of the Year.
Milton has a prominent relationship with the deaf community, factoring in the E. C. Drury School for the Deaf and the Bob Rumball Canadian Centre of Excellence for the Deaf. Challinor says having those facilities has been great for Milton as they provide resources for deaf residents and learning opportunities for hearing residents.
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.
