We’re covering a man that had to go from working in beautiful Bermuda to the heart of Canada, as well as an old Halton judge that could have been Hamilton’s Harvey Dent.
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 Brandon Terrace and Garden Lane. This week, we’re focusing on Gore Court and Snider Terrace.
Starting alphabetically with Gore, Challinor says the man was tasked with developing Canada in the early-1800s after his work in the tropics.
It seems the British moved Gore to Canada because he was good at his job. In his time in the position, Canada built many needed roads, developed a militia that would help in the war of 1812, and established several schools.
Francis Gore is not to be confused with longtime San Francisco 49ers running back, Frank Gore.
Moving on to our other street this week, Challinor says Colin Snider was a local judge who eventually made his way to Hamilton, where he busted a huge City Staff scandal.
It’s notable that while Snider worked in Halton County as a judge, he would have worked in the old Halton Courthouse and Jail, which is the building now used as Milton’s Town Hall. The old courtyard is still visible from Mary Street, with remnants of the jail being in the basement of the building.
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.
