In 1907, all of the street names in Owen Sound were changed to numbers. This change made home mail delivery easier and one of Owen Sound?s prominent residents, Mr. Reeve F.W. Harrison, had lived in New York City and favoured the system. The system itself is quite simple: the Sydenham River divides the city into east and west sides, with avenues running north-south and streets running east-west. The old street names can still be seen carved in stones set into the sidewalk.