We have a street that you might be mispronouncing, and another that is very on-the-nose.
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 Huddlestone Crescent and Mulock/Murlock Heights. This week, we’re focusing on Jean Landing and Pan Am Boulevard.
Starting alphabetically with Jean Landing, Challinor says there is a good chance you’ve mispronounced the name of this former governor general of Canada.
Michaëlle Jean was the first Haitian Canadian and black person to hold this office.
When it comes to the process of naming a street, the Town of Milton tries its best to avoid any confusion with other streets. The best example would be having a street name Smith Road. You wouldn’t then name a street after someone with the last name Smyth, because there would be confusion with Smith Road. When it comes to Jean Landing, Challinor admits that while phonetically, it sounds similar to John, there isn’t much confusion with John Street. That’s because the community is more likely to pronounce it in the English accent (like a pair of jeans), rather the proper French accent.
Moving on to Pan Am Boulevard, most residents who have been living in the area for a decade can safely assume the origins of this street name.
The street’s lone resident at this moment is the Milton Velodrome, also known as the Mattamy National Cycling Centre. It is home to Cycling Canada and Cycling Ontario. Challinor says that having this building in our community has really point a focal point on Milton is the sports world. It has been great for cycling in general as many athletes have been exposed to cycling at a younger age, which can only improve the sport moving forward.
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.
