We have one street connected to very a well-known Milton family, and another named after a former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario!
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 Cottrelle Place and Solomon Court. This week, we’re looking at Chilver Heights and Mortimer Crescent.
Starting alphabetically with Chilver, Challinor says the namesake was the matriarch of the famous Bastedo family in Milton.
The Bastedo family is also the namesake for Bastedo Court, which we covered the history of back in 2021.
Challinor notes that the Bastedo family also had a relative who served in World War One, and was the first Milton resident to die in the war. His name would be honoured on the cenotaph in Milton.
Our second street name this week is Mortimer Crescent. Challinor says the namesake served Ontario as its ninth Lieutenant Governor.
The Town of Milton used Clark’s middle name for the street as his surname was already taken. Clark Boulevard is named for Joe Clark, the 16th Prime Minister of Canada.
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.