Photo: Town of Milton
We have two streets this week with very interesting names.
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 Connaught Terrace and Murray Meadows Place. This week, we’re covering Darkwood Road and Moonseed Place.
Starting alphabetically with Darkwood, Challinor says you don’t need to overthink the name.
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He laughs because if you google the street’s name, you end up finding a very popular survival horror video game. Challinor reassures residents that this Milton street was not named after a video game.
Our other street this week is Moonseed Place. While the name is very pretty, Challinor warns residents that the namesake is very dangerous.
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He adds that what’s especially tricky about the moonseed plant is that it’s found locally. Even more, some residents enjoy planting and growing the moonseed in their gardens because it is a nice looking addition that resembles grapes. However, doing so can be dangerous for anyone unaware of the plant, including small children.
Historically, the moonseed has been used in medicine, specifically as a laxative. It’s not recommended that you ingest this berry for obvious reasons.
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)
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.
