MHS Resources: History in Brandon Street Names

Some street names in the City of Brandon commemorate historical events and personalities. Unfortunately, the basis for many names has not been recorded. This project will attempt to reconstruct the basis for as many Brandon street names as possible. Those with obvious names (for example, the “Animal Streets” - Otter Bay, Moose Place, Lynx Crescent, etc. - in the northwest corner of the city) will not be included.

NOTE: This is a work in progress, and information will be added as it becomes available. Please send corrections and updates to Gordon Goldsborough at webmaster@mhs.mb.ca.

Type	Direction
Avenues (usually named)	East-west
Streets (usually numbered)	North-south

There are corresponding lists for Portage la Prairie, Selkirk, and Winnipeg.

Street Name	Notes	Source(s)
Aagaard Avenue	Named for a restaurant proprietor	3
Aberdeen Avenue	Probably named for the Marquis of Aberdeen, Governor-General of Canada (1893-1898) who visited Manitoba in 1895 and 1915
Assiniboine Avenue	Named for the Assiniboine River that flows nearby
Augusta Crescent	Unknown
Baker Bay	Unknown
Balmoral Avenue	Unknown
Baragar Drive	In 1939, a section of First Street North near the Manitoba Hospital for Mental Diseases was renamed in honour of facility administrator Charles A. Baragar but the municipal paperwork was never formalized and the change lapsed in the 1970s	2
Braecrest Drive	Unknown
Brock Avenue	Named for farmer John A. Brock, who owned the land where the street is located, prior to 1883	1
Byng Avenue	Named for the Viscount Byng of Vimy, Governor-General of Canada (1921-1926)	MHS
Carlton Avenue	Unknown
Cater Drive	Named for Brandon mayor Harry William Cater	MHS
Charles Street	Unknown
Christie Bay	Unknown
Clare Avenue	Unknown
Clark Drive	According to historian Martin Kavanagh, this streets commemorates “a democratic leader”	Kavanagh
Clement Drive	Named for Brandon mayor Stephen Emmett Clement	MHS
College Avenue	Unknown
Cornwallis Bay	Unknown
Creighton Boulevard	Named for Brandon mayor James Albert Creighton	MHS
Currie Boulevard	Possibly named for early pioneer William J. Currie	MHS
Daly Crescent	Named for Brandon mayor Thomas Mayne Daly	MHS
Darrach Avenue / Bay	Named for nurse and philanthropist Sarah Persis Johnson Darrach	MHS
Delta Bay	Unknown
Dennis Street	Unknown
Douglas Street	Unknown
Elviss Crescent	Unknown
Empress Bay	Unknown
Finlay Drive	Unknown
E. Fotheringham Drive	Named for Brandon alderman, mayor and businessman Edward Fotheringham	MHS
Franklin Street	Unknown
Fraser Crescent	Named for Brandon mayor Alexander Cumming Fraser	MHS
Frederick Street	Unknown
Galbraith Crescent	Unknown
Glen Avenue	Unknown
Glendale Bay	Unknown
Gordon Avenue	Unknown
Grant Boulevard	Unknown
Hanbury Place	Probably named for businessman and city councillor John Hanbury	MHS
Harrison Avenue	Unknown
Highland Avenue	Unknown
Hill Avenue	Named for railwayman James Jerome Hill	Kavanagh
Hilton Avenue	Named for Hilton McGregor, son of Manitoba Lieutenant-Governor James Duncan McGregor. See also John Avenue and McGregor Avenue.	Kavanagh
Horizon Place	Unknown
Jade Avenue	Unknown
John Avenue	Named for John McGregor, brother to Manitoba Lieutenant-Governor James Duncan McGregor. See also Hilton Avenue and McGregor Avenue.	Kavanagh
Jordanna Lane	Unknown
Kelly Place	Named for Brandon mayor Andrew Kelly	MHS
Kirkcaldy Drive	Named for municipal politician James Kirkcaldy	MHS
Laurence Crescent	Unknown
Leslie Bay	Unknown
Lloyd Crescent	Unknown
Lori Road	Unknown
Lorne Avenue	Named for John George Edward Henry Douglas Sutherland Campbell, the Duke of Argyll, also known as the Marquis of Lorne, son-in-law to Queen Victoria, who served as Governor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883. See Louise Avenue.	Kavanagh
Louise Avenue	Named for Princess Louise, daughter of Queen Victoria and wife to the Marquis of Lorne. See Lorne Avenue.	Kavanagh
Macleod Drive	Unknown
Madison Crescent	Unknown
Magnacca Crescent	Named for Brandon mayor Stephen Adolph Magnacca	MHS
Maryland Avenue	Unknown
McDiarmid Drive	Named for Brandon mayor John S. McDiarmid	MHS
McDonald Avenue	Probably named for Martin McDonald, the registrar at the Brandon Land Titles Office in 1881 but it may also commemorate lawyer W. A. MacDonald whose place of business was on the north side of Rosser Avenue between Ninth and Tenth Streets. The latter man later migrated to British Columbia where he became a Supreme Court judge.	Kavanagh
McEwen Drive	Unknown
McGregor Avenue	Named for John McGregor, brother to Manitoba Lieutenant-Governor James Duncan McGregor. See also Hilton Avenue and John Avenue	Kavanagh
McTavish Avenue	Unknown
McVicar Crescent	Unknown
Middleton Avenue	Probably named for British general Frederick Dobson Middleton
Mitchell Street	Unknown
Noonan Drive	Unknown
Orchard Drive	Unknown
Ottawa Avenue	Unknown
Pacific Avenue	Named for the Canadian Pacific Railway which reached Brandon in 1881	MHS
Park Avenue	Unknown
Park Street	Unknown
Parker Boulevard	Unknown
Paterson Crescent	Unknown
Patmore Drive	Named for horticulturist Henry Lewis Patmore	MHS
Patricia Avenue	Unknown
Percy Street	Unknown
Pilling Drive	Unknown
Princess Avenue	Unknown
Queens Avenue	Unknown
Richmond Avenue	Unknown
Rideau Street	Unknown
Rosser Avenue	Named for Thomas Lafayette Rosser, Chief Engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway	Kavanagh
Russell Street	Unknown
Schwitzer Avenue	Unknown
Sifton Avenue	Probably named for politician Clifford Sifton	MHS
Soo Street	Unknown
Southern Avenue	Unknown
Stickney Avenue	Named for Alpheus Beede Stickney, General Manager of the Canadian Pacific Railway, who was replaced in this position by William Cornelius Van Horne on 1 January 1882.	Kavanagh
Swanson Avenue	Unknown
Sykes Boulevard	Named for city official George Frederick Sykes	MHS
Taylor Bay	Unknown
Templeton Drive	Possibly named for physician Charles Perry Templeton
Unrau Place	Unknown
Van Horne Avenue	Named for railwayman William Cornelius Van Horne	Kavanagh
Victoria Avenue	Named for Queen Victoria	MHS
Village Drive	Unknown
Waterloo Crescent	Unknown
Waverly Drive	Unknown
Whillier Drive	Unknown
Whitehead Crescent	Probably named for Joseph Blyth Whitehead	MHS
Williamson Drive	Named for Brandon mayor Franklin Truman Williamson	MHS
Winston Bay	Unknown
Winter Bay	Named for Brandon mayor William Winter	MHS
Woodsley Bay	Unknown
Young Avenue	Named for Brandon mayor Frederick Henry Young	MHS

Sources:

1. The Assiniboine Basin by Martin Kavanagh.

2. “The forgotten history of First Street North” by Graeme Bruce, Brandon Sun, 28 June 2014.

3. Email communication, Andy Schroeder, 23 March 2010.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 2 September 2023