We have a street named after a part of the bible, as well as a former Governor General of Canada!
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 Donald Campbell Avenue and LeBlanc Court. This week, we’re focusing on Eden Estates Court and Michener Place.
Starting alphabetically with Eden Estates, Challinor says the name comes from Eden Mills, which was a local mill that received its own namesake from the bible.
He adds that Eden Mills was once part of Nassagaweya Township. When Halton County became the Region of Halton in 1974, Nassagaweya fell into the Town of Milton, while Eden Mills joined Guelph/Eramosa in Wellington County.
Moving on to Michener Place (which rhymes with Kitchener), Challinor says the namesake was a former Governor General of Canada.
He says that while many view the role of Governor General as a purely ceremonial one, history has shown that countries within the Commonwealth with a Governor General have greatly benefited. Challinor believes that’s because the person in the role serves as the now-King’s face for discussions.
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.
