Photo: Town of Milton
It’s Street Name Monday!
On a weekly basis, 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 focused on Richardson Way and Scollick Landing. This week, we’re covering Arpa Place and Bundoran Crescent.
Starting alphabetically with Arpa, Challinor says the name comes from a well-known local family that’s done a lot for the community.
The Arpa family helping Italian immigrants settle in Milton Heights is important to note since the Italian Cultural Centre of Milton is found along Tremaine Road. Challinor says it first opened its doors in 1969.
Longtime residents will also know the Arpa family for their musical ties to the community. In the 60s, 70s, and 80s, Jerry Arpa travelled across southern Ontario performing his music and became a bit of a local legend for many.
Our other street this week is Bundoran Crescent. Challinor says the name comes from the well-known Beaty family and their ties to Ireland.
The small Irish town was home to a number of immigrating Miltonians. It was common practice for immigrants to name areas in Canada after places they had originally come from, which is how Milton also ended up with Derry Road, and the hamlets Drumquin and Omagh.
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.
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 X account or 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 (Milton)
- News1015@LocalRadio.ca (Orangeville)
- News92@LocalRadio.ca (South Simcoe)
- Rick.Sargent@LocalRadio.ca (Bolton)
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.
