Ontario Highway 17 Photographs - Page 2 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Left - Circa 1950 view of Hwy 17 approaching the Hwy 70 Junction (today's Hwy 71) at Longbow Corners east of Kenora. This large directional "Y" intersection was reconfigured many years ago so that Hwy 71 ended at a T-intersection with Hwy 17. However, at the time this photo was taken, traffic had to turn rather sharply to the left in order to continue east along Hwy 17 towards Dryden. The apparent "through route" at this junction was actually Hwy 70, which began to turn south towards Sioux Narrows and Fort Frances beyond Longbow Corners. This through route appearance is further amplified by the highway's surface - note that Hwy 70 was paved with a marked centreline through the highway junction. Observers may notice that the pavement ends on Hwy 17 just beyond the split, where it becomes a gravel-surfaced highway. It wasn't until the early 1960s that an asphalt pavement was completed along Hwy 17 east of Longbow Corners. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken circa 1950.
(Photo from Cameron Bevers' historical photograph collection - Original photographer unknown)

Right - Circa 1950 postcard view of the Keewatin Channel Bridge near Kenora, facing northeast. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken circa 1950.
(Photo courtesy of Lakewood Studio, Kenora)

Left - Trans-Canada Highway Sign at the junction of Hwy 15 & Hwy 17 in Ottawa. Photo taken on July 19, 1950.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1950)

Right - Grading for the new Hwy 17 (Hwy 17 Alt) east of Ottawa. Photo taken on July 21, 1950.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1950)

Above - View of the Des Joachims Hydro Dam from the scenic lookout on Hwy 17 at Rolphton in 1950. The road through the supply yard in the foreground was designated as a Secondary Highway (Hwy 635) in 1960. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on July 22, 1950.
(Photo from Cameron Bevers' historical photograph collection - Original photographer unknown)

Left - Grading and fill for a new Hwy 17 alignment east of Terrace Bay. Photo taken on August 23, 1950.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1950)

Right - Construction of Hwy 17 east of Jackfish near the proposed Steel River Bridge site. Photo taken on August 23, 1950.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1950)

Left - View of the Des Joachims lookout on Hwy 17. Photo taken on September 5, 1950.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1950)

Right - Grass seeding on Hwy 17, 6 miles west of North Bay. Photo taken on September 5, 1950.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1950)

Left - Zone striping on Hwy 17 east of Mattawa. facing west. Photo taken on September 5, 1950.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1950)

Right - Rock blasting for a new Hwy 17 alignment, 4.5 miles south of Haley. Photo taken on June 12, 1951.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1951)

Left - A scenic view of the Rideau Canal in Ottawa in 1950, approaching the Wellington Street Bridge near Parliament Hill. Although they are not particularly obvious in this photo, note the four King's Highway route markers mounted onto a single post on Rideau Canal Drive at left. For many years, the routes of Hwy 15, Hwy 16, Hwy 17 and Hwy 31 all followed Rideau Canal Drive along a city-signed scenic loop through Downtown Ottawa. See an Enlarged Photo here. Photo taken in 1950.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1950)

Right - Facing south along Rideau Canal Drive (Hwy 15, Hwy 16, Hwy 17 & Hwy 31) in Ottawa in 1951. See an Enlarged Photo here. Photo taken in 1951.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1951)

Left - Newly-built section of Hwy 17 south of Terrace Bay, approaching Jackfish Lake. Photo taken on August 15, 1951.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1951)

Right - Cresting over the summit of Cavers Hill on the original Hwy 17 alignment in 1951. This section of Hwy 17 was bypassed by an entirely new highway alignment in 1959-1960, in an effort to improve the steep grade seen here. The original highway alignment, along with its trademark stone retaining wall, now lie abandoned in the forests high above the present-day Cavers Hill Rock Cut on Hwy 17. Photo taken on August 15, 1951.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1951)

Above - Street protest in Wawa aimed at speeding up the construction of Hwy 17 to Sault Ste. Marie. This 1951 photo clearly depicts the frustration of Wawa residents in the 1950s, who felt isolated from the rest of the province because the town lacked an external highway link. This frustration was echoed in many other remote towns in Northern Ontario during the 1950s and 1960s, until the Department of Highways launched an ambitious northern highway construction program to link these distant communities with the rest of the province. On September 17, 1960, the Lake Superior Route of the Trans-Canada Highway was completed and officially opened to traffic, finally linking Wawa to the rest of the King's Highway system.

(Photo Courtesy of Michipicoten Heritage Committee, Wawa - Special thanks to Howard Whent for this photo)

Above - Temporary Bailey Bridge over Montreal River on Hwy 17 north of Sault Ste Marie. The rather precarious timber structure in the foreground was built by Ontario Hydro in the 1930s to provide access to a hydro dam a short distance to the north. When Hwy 17 was extended beyond the Montreal River in 1948, the Department of Highways constructed a more suitable temporary crossing until a permanent bridge could be built. Photo taken in 1952. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1952)

Left - Postcard view of Hwy 17 near Deep River (1952)

Right - View from the Department of Highways' Roadside Park and Campground on Hwy 17 at Kakabeka Falls (1952)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1952)

Above - View of the new Hwy 17 alignment west of Whitefish in 1952. A substantial portion of Hwy 17 between Whitefish and Nairn was relocated onto a new alignment in the early 1950s, bypassing the small communities of Worthington and Victoria Mine. At the time this photo was taken, the new Hwy 17 was not yet open to traffic. Photo taken on September 27, 1952.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1952)

Left - Aerial view of Downtown Ottawa and the Parliament Buildings on Hwy 17 in 1952. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo courtesy of National Film Board of Canada)

Right - View of Raleigh Falls Roadside Park on Hwy 17 near Ignace. Photo taken on August 24, 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Left - Facing southeast towards Marathon from Hwy 17 Photo taken on August 18, 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Right - View of Lake Superior between Schreiber and Terrace Bay on Hwy 17. Photo taken on August 18, 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Left - Bailey Bridge on Hwy 17 at the Little Pic River west of Marathon in 1953. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on August 19, 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Right - Motorists at the Department of Highways' Aaron Park on Hwy 17 near Dryden in 1953. In 1956, this large roadside park and campground was turned over to the Department of Lands and Forests and was designated as Aaron Provincial Park. Many of Ontario's current provincial parks actually began as roadside parks and campgrounds developed and operated by the Department of Highways for the convenience of motorists. Photo taken on August 25, 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Left - Temporary Bailey Bridge over the Steel River on Hwy 17 east of Terrace Bay in 1953. This Bailey Bridge represents one of the largest structures of this type ever installed by the Department of Highways. The temporary bridge remained in service until 1958, when it was finally replaced by an equally impressive steel deck truss bridge which was in use up until 2011. See an Enlarged Photo Here Photo taken on August 18, 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Right - Heavy grading on Hwy 17 approaching the Little Pic River Bridge near Marathon. Photo taken on August 18, 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Left - New Hwy 17 alignment at Green Creek between Ottawa and Orleans. Photo taken on July 19, 1954. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1954)

Right - View of a reconstructed section of Hwy 17, 2 miles west of Naughton. Photo taken on October 19, 1954.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1954)