The Naming History of Mississauga's Dixie Road

Dixie Road, by name, was born in 1927. Dixie Road was formerly known as Third Line East and runs pretty much straight as an arrow through Mississauga. Almost. The road “jogs” where it meets the QEW (formerly Middle Road). Historically there were two sections to the Third Line – the southern section ran from Lakeshore Road north to the Middle Road. The northern section ran northwards from the Middle Road. Only problem was that the two sections did not meet – they were separated by approximately 250 feet. This “jog” in the road made for two distinct portions of the road. For people living along the northern portion of the road, the name of “Dixie Road” had already been in use, informally, for a number of years – it was named in reference to the crossroads village of Dixie – which itself was renamed in 1865 for beloved local doctor Beaumont Wilson Bowen Dixie (1819-1898). In 1927 the southern section of the road in the Lakeview area was still known as Third Line.

Jog of Dixie Road at the Middle Road - QEW, 1941

The 1920s saw a rapid increase of population in the Lakeview area with the building of new subdivisions. This influx of people brought with it an increase of vehicle traffic, both along Lakeshore Road and Third Line, accessing the Middle Road. For generations, the Third Line was a dirt road, and every so often it was re-graded and crushed clay spread on its surface. Gravel was added around 1912-13 (exact year uncertain). In 1917 the road was macadamized, which was a process using crushed and compacted stone. But the increase in use and the climate was hard on the surface, and by the spring of 1927 the road was considered almost impassable. After much public agitation, the road was paved with concrete in August of 1927, connecting Lakeshore Road in the south to Dundas Street in the north. The paving was done by the Grant Construction Company of Toronto. But the “jog” at the Middle Road remained.

Isobel McMaster

After the road was paved, Mrs. Isobel May (nee Wanless) McMaster (1872-1962) led a petition to have the name “Third Line” replaced by “Dixie Road”. On August 8, 1927, in front of the former Dixie Public School, the grand opening of the newly paved and renamed road took place. The name “Dixie Road” was applied to the newly paved portion. At that time “Third Line East” remained formally in use for the section running north of Dundas Street. For the opening of the newly paved road, the ribbon was cut by R.C. Muir, chief engineer for the Department of Highways for the Province. Dignitaries on hand included federal MP Samuel Charters, former Toronto Township Reeve Thomas Goldthorpe, Reeve J.J. Jamieson, Councillor Leslie Pallett, and county engineer M.L. Powell. Following the ceremony, a garden party was held on the lawn of the school, followed by a banquet at the Crofton Villa in Cooksville. J.J. Jamieson, in addition to being the Reeve, was also chair of the county’s Good Roads Committee, and Dixie Road became the first permanent road to be upgraded in Peel County.

Plan showing Applewood Plaza and the Dixie Road bypass over QEW, 1951

But back to the naming of the road itself. While the initial reference to Dixie Road was an informal one that was local to the area around Dundas Street prior to the 1927 improvements, Isobel McMaster is said to have led the charge to have Third Line renamed. In this she had the support of Mrs. Matilda Ramage (1871-1944) and Major-General Harry Cawthra-Elliot (who was leading the charge to get First Line East renamed Cawthra Road), and a committee was formed. Their petition was approved by Township Council. Isobel McMaster was the wife of prominent lawyer Arthur Carson McMaster (1868-1933), and they lived along the Third Line, across from the entrance to the Toronto Golf Club. The couple had two children, Marguerite “Mardette” McMaster (1898-1962) and John Wanless McMaster (1904-1984). Their beloved home, dubbed “Alannah”, survives today, part of the Fairways Condo at 1400 Dixie Road.

Alannah - The McMaster House

The “jog” at the Middle Road / QEW remained until 1951, when, after numerous accidents, the Dixie Road Bypass was opened, finally connecting the two sections of Dixie Road. You can still find the former routes of Dixie Road where the two segments intersected with the QEW (on the south side this stub of the road is known today as Cormack Crescent). In 1958, Township Council formally renamed the entire length of Third Line East as Dixie Road.