What kind of stories lie within our streets?
Each week, FM 101 Milton dives deep into the history behind Milton’s street names. This is thanks to the tremendous work done by Milton Historical Society President John Challinor. If you weren’t aware, Challinor and the late great historian, Jim Dills, wrote the book on Milton street names, having written Milton Streets back in 2007.
Last week, we covered Dawson Crescent and Stark Circle. This week: Deacon Drive, Savoline Boulevard, and the listener-suggested Chee Chee Landing.
Our first street that we spoke about was Deacon Drive. Challinor says Mr. Deacon was a merchant turned Milton Mayor back in the turn of the 19th century.
He adds that the respect that people had for John Deacon was evident when he was re-elected as Mayor of Milton almost ten years after his first term.
Focusing on Savoline Boulevard, Challinor says the namesake comes from a very respected woman who still lives in Burlington today.
He says that in the time that he’s been able to get to know Joyce Savoline, he describes her as a very positive person who always had the best interest for Burlington, Milton, and all of Halton.
A listener suggested our final street name: Chee Chee Landing. In a town filled with recognizable street names like Trudeau and Laurier or simple ones like Main and Commercial, you might not immediately know the origins of Chee Chee Landing. Challinor explains where the name comes from and says you’ve likely seen the work of the namesake at museums across the country.
Learning by Benjamin Chee Chee
If you’re looking to understand how Milton’s streets were 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, as well as suggested names. 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 interest us.
Hey, things are changing for us here at MiltonNow.ca! 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.
