How much do you know about Milton street names?
Each week, we speak with Milton Historical Society President John Challinor to gather information and details about the namesakes of our roads. If you weren’t aware, Challinor and the late great historian, Jim Dills, wrote the book on Milton street names, writing Milton Streets back in 2007.
Recently, we covered Gleeson Road and Merritt Drive. This week, we’re focusing on Gordon Heights and McNiven Road. Starting with Gordon Heights, Challinor says the local street is named after a Milton Mayor, just not longtime Milton Mayor Gordon Krantz.
He adds that Don Gordon was a very active community member before and after serving as Milton Mayor. Gordon was an Oakville Councillor from 1966 – 1974; Milton Councillor from 1974 – 1976; and, a provincial representative for the Halton Region Conservation Authority from 1982-1985. He was also President of the Milton Rotary Club for a number of years.
Challinor says he worked with Gordon at the Milton Rotary Club and he covered him during Challinor’s time as a journalist. He remembers the years following Gordon’s mayoral term well. He says Don took the loss the same anyone would, but Gordon knew Krantz well from their time on Council together. He was close to retirement anyway, and moved away from politics shortly after.
Don Gordon passed away in 1987.
Moving onto McNiven Road, Challinor says the name comes from a pioneering family.
He adds the most well-known member of the family was Frank McNiven, who served as governor of the Halton County Jail, the area’s Police Chief, and Town of Milton assessor. Challinor notes that most, if not all, of the McNiven family has seemingly moved away.
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.
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