It’s time to learn about Milton street names!
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 the listener-suggested Cabot Trail, as well as Gollins Drive. This week, we’re focusing on Grant Way and McDowell Crescent. Starting with Grant, Challinor says Mr. Grant was a former local historian with ties to the military.
He adds that the Rifle Association served as sort of cadet training for members of the community looking to serve in the military. The idea of a militia was still relevant across Canada in the 1800 and early 1900s. Canada had faced the United States in the War of 1812, and the fear of the US potentially invading remained prevalent, says Challinor. A person like Grant helped train future soldiers to fight for our country.
Moving on to McDowell, Challinor notes that the street is yet another road named after a former local shoemaker from the 1800s.
The shoe industry in the 1800s was not quite how it is today. Back then, communities received the leather from the cattle of local farms, tanned the leather at tanneries and formed the material into shoes. The industry then moved overseas when international sellers were able to make and sell the shoes at a cheaper rate. However, in a pre-automobile world with plenty of laborious jobs, proper leather shoes were vital to the every day experience. That meant local shoemakers, or cobblers, were vital to a healthy community.
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.
