It’s time to learn about Milton’s history!
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 Harrop Drive and McDowell Crescent. This week, we’re focusing on Hartley Boulevard and McDuffe Crescent. Starting with Hartley, Challinor says the namesake was a man who helped immigrants move to the area.
He adds that the Hartley family has become very well-known over the years. They’re one of those families where residents likely know a Hartley relative or two, even if they no longer have the Hartley name.
With the family being known for its work in agriculture, Challinor says he’d look into where exactly their farm was located. He says the information is likely in a copy of the Halton atlas.
Moving on to McDuffe Crescent, Challinor says it’s another longtime Milton family with ties to both farming and the National Hockey League (NHL).
With Milton having a John Tonelli Arena, named after NHL great and Milton-native John Tonelli, it’s not outrageous to think Milton could one day have a Peter McDuffe Arena. Challinor says he’s already in the Milton Sports Hall of Fame and on the Milton Walk of Fame.
The McDuffe family auto shop experienced a fire in 1963 at its location on Martin Street. That eventually led them to selling the business, which Challinor says eventually became a tire store.
He notes that the matriarch of the family passed away this month. Jean McDuffe was 98-years-old.
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.
