Milton’s street names are a little different than most towns.
Chosen through a designed street name bank, many of our local roads are named after specific people or places. Who were these people and why did they get a street named after them?
myFM News is diving into the history of these names each week. Last week was a trio of names: Athlone Drive, Winter Crescent, and Turrell Crescent. This week, we’re looking at Babcock Crescent and White Drive.
President of the Milton Historical Society John Challinor explains where the name Babcock came from.
Now, what’s probably the most interesting tidbit out of that is that Canada had a Dental Corps during the War. As the Canadian Dental Association says “the Canadian Army Dental Corps (CADC) was formed as a separate corps within the Canadian Army. Canadian dental officers were attached to the field ambulances and did wonders in the forward area, including even the provision of gold plates.” Dr. Babcock served in the CADC and returned to Canada to live in Milton and opened up his business. Challinor notes that he passed away in 1954 at roughly 60-years-old.
Let’s move on to our other street, White Drive. As it turns out, White Drive was named after a major figure in Milton’s history.
John White’s lumber business was actually international, having mills in both Canada and the United States.
White’s run as Milton’s MP stood at a pretty significant time. Canada became an official country in 1867. White held the position at a key time for Milton and Canada. Challinor says he would’ve taken part in some historic discussions at the time.
White was also heavily involved in the militia. This was at a time where there was uncertainty regarding what the US would do, as well as there being unrest within Canada. Challinor says there was an internal strife regarding politics during this time where the country was looking to separate from Great Britain, even if only slightly.
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@mbcmedia.ca. Otherwise, we’ll just continue asking about local street names that we find interesting.
