A former local shopkeeper and a former Premier with ties to the QEW!
Each week, we speak with Milton Historical Society (MHS) 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 Carr Landing and McKim Gate. This week, we’re looking at Emmett Landing and Henry Crescent.
Starting alphabetically with Emmett, Challinor says the namesake ran a store in the Boyne area.
Boyne can be found at the south end of Milton in the area of Regional Road 25 and Britannia Road. Emmett Landing is actually located about a block away from that particular intersection.
Challinor says the village was hampered by a lack of industry, which is what led to the growth of Milton. He compares it to Meadowvale in Mississauga as an area that was absorbed by a neighbouring community. Bronte in Oakville is similar as well.
Our second street this week is Henry Crescent. Challinor says the namesake should be known for his work with the QEW.
During his stint as the Minister of Transportation, Ontario went from 420 miles of developed highway to 2416 miles. Challinor says the only politician that rivals Henry in terms of road development is Milton’s James Snow, who helped develop the 400-Highway-series as Minister of Transportation.
Henry spent 30 years in politics, while also working in law and agriculture.
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.