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 the City of Winnipeg and the City of Portage la Prairie.

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.
Baker Bay
Balmoral Avenue
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
Brock Avenue	Named for farmer John A. Brock, who owned the land where the street is located, prior to 1883.	1
Byng Avenue
Cater Drive	Named for Brandon mayor Harry William Cater.	MHS
Christie Bay
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
Cornwallis Bay
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
Dennis Street
Douglas Street
Elviss Crescent
Empress Bay
Finlay Drive
E. Fotheringham Drive	Named for Brandon alderman, mayor and businessman Edward Fotheringham.	MHS
Franklin Street
Fraser Crescent	Named for Brandon mayor Alexander C. Fraser.	MHS
Frederick Street
Gordon Avenue
Grant Bay
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
John Avenue	Named for John McGregor, brother to Manitoba Lieutenant-Governor James Duncan McGregor. See also Hilton Avenue and McGregor Avenue.	Kavanagh
Kelly Place	Named for Brandon mayor Andrew Kelly.	MHS
Kirkcaldy Drive	Named for municipal politician James Kirkcaldy.	MHS
Laurence Crescent
Leslie Bay
Lloyd Crescent
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
Magnacca Crescent	Named for Brandon mayor Stephen A. Magnacca.	MHS
Maryland Avenue
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
McGregor Avenue	Named for John McGregor, brother to Manitoba Lieutenant-Governor James Duncan McGregor. See also Hilton Avenue and John Avenue.	Kavanagh
McTavish Avenue
Middleton Avenue
Mitchell Street
Pacific Avenue	Named for the Canadian Pacific Railway which reached Brandon in 1881. The main line ran along this street.	MHS
Park Avenue
Park Street
Parker Boulevard
Patmore Drive
Patricia Avenue
Percy Street
Princess Avenue
Queens Avenue
Richmond Avenue
Rideau Street
Rosser Avenue	Named for Thomas L. Rosser, Chief Engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway.	Kavanagh
Russell Street
Southern Avenue
Stickney Avenue	Named for Alpheus B. Stickney, General Manager of the Canadian Pacific Railway, who was replaced in this position by W. C. Van Horne on 1 January 1882.	Kavanagh
Sykes Boulevard	Named for city official George Frederick Sykes.	MHS
Van Horne Avenue	Named for railwayman William Cornelius Van Horne.	Kavanagh
Victoria Avenue
Waverly Drive
Whillier Drive
Whitehead Crescent	Probably named for Joseph Blyth Whitehead.	MHS
Williamson Drive	Named for Brandon mayor Franklin Truman Williamson.	MHS
Winter Bay	Named for Brandon mayor William Winter.	MHS
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: 1 August 2021