Did you know that one of the largest streets in Milton is named after a Canadian Prime Minister?
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 Hood Terrace and MacArthur Drive. This week, we’re focusing on Houston Drive and Louis St. Laurent Avenue.
Starting in alphabetical order with Houston Drive, Challinor says the namesake was a very active community member more than 100 years ago.
The Halton Agricultural Society was formed in March 1853, which makes the Milton Fall Fair one of the longest running fall fairs in Canada.
Moving onto Louis St. Laurent Avenue, Challinor says the street was named after one of the Prime Ministers who helped Canada after World War 2.
He adds that St. Laurent helped provide soldiers an entry point back into the work force. Louis St. Laurent eventually lost his position as Canada’s Prime Minister in 1957 when John Diefenbaker and the Progressive Conservative Party ended the 22-year reign of the federal Liberal Party.
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.
Lastly, for the sake of clarity, this article is a republish from January 6th, 2023. We wanted to let John enjoy his time off from doing this segment, which he does for free. We’ll have two new street names next week. Thanks!
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.