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All photographs displayed on this page were taken by the
Ontario Ministry of Transportation, unless specifically noted otherwise. Historical photographs are
arranged in approximate chronological order. Click on any thumbnail to see a larger image!
Please note that all photographs displayed on this
website are protected by copyright. These photographs must not be reproduced, published,
electronically stored or copied, distributed, or posted onto other websites without
my written permission. If you want to use photos from this website, please
email me first for permission. Thank-you!
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Page 2: Historical Hwy 17 Photographs (1950 to 1999)
 Above - Postcard of Keewatin Channel Bridge near Kenora, facing northeast (ca. 1950) 
 Left - View of the new Des Joachims lookout on Hwy 17 in 1950 Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Centre - Trans-Canada Highway Sign at the junction of Hwy 15 & Hwy 17 in Ottawa (1950) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - View of Hwy 17 west of North Bay in 1950 Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - New asphalt pavement on Hwy 17 east of Mattawa (1950) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Centre - Grading for new Hwy 17 (17 Alt) east of Ottawa (1950) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Construction of Hwy 17 in 1950 east of Jackfish near Steel River Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Grading and fill for new Hwy 17 east of Terrace Bay (1950) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Centre - Rock blasting on new Hwy 17 alignment 4.5 miles south of Haley (1951) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Hwy 17 at Deep River in 1957. Trucks hauling components for the Rolphton Power Plant Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  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. In September 1960, the Lake Superior Route of the Trans-Canada Highway was completed and 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. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Postcard showing Hwy 17 near Deep River in 1952 
Above - Bailey Bridge on Hwy 17 at Little Pic River west of Marathon (1953) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Facing southeast towards Marathon from Hwy 17 (1953) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - View of Lake Superior between Schreiber and Terrace Bay on Hwy 17 (1954) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Temporary Bailey Bridge over the Steel River on Hwy 17 east of Terrace Bay in 1954. This Bailey Bridge represents one of the largest of this bridge 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 is still in use today. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - New Hwy 17 alignment at Green Creek between Ottawa and Orleans in 1954 Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Facing east along Hwy 17 towards Earls Lake from the scenic lookout 4 miles west of Mattawa (ca. 1955) Photo from Cameron Bevers' historical photograph collection - Original photographer unknown  Above - Facing east along Hwy 17 towards junction of Hwy 29 near Arnprior (ca. 1957) Photo from Cameron Bevers' historical photograph collection - Original photographer unknown 
Above - Wolf River Bridge on Hwy 17 between Dorion and Hurkett (Sept. 25, 1957) Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-162-5-166, Photo #914-57, AO6881) The original Wolf River Bridge on Hwy 17 was a timber through truss bridge, similar in design to the famous Sioux Narrows Bridge on Hwy 71. The main through truss span was 90 feet (28 metres) in length. The Wolf River Bridge was completed in 1937. Unfortunately, the eastern approach to this bridge was narrow and winding and a new alignment was eventually built which bypassed the wooden bridge entirely. The current Wolf River Bridge was completed in 1959 and the old wooden bridge seen here was subsequently demolished. The approaches to the former Wolf River Bridge can still be found today in the forest just to the north of the current highway. 
Above - Construction of the Little Pic River Bridge on Hwy 17 near Marathon. The steel deck truss portion of the bridge was about 50% complete when this photo was taken in September, 1957. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
Above - Compacting granular base on Hwy 17 north of Sault Ste. Marie near the Agawa River (1958) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Roadside park and picnic area on Hwy 17 at Muskrat Lake near Cobden (1958) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Heavy grading and rock cut on the Cavers Hill Diversion near Rossport (1959) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Construction crew laying hot-mix asphalt on Hwy 17 near White River (1959) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Grading operations on a new section of Hwy 17 north of the Agawa River (1959) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Large rock cut and fill on Hwy 17 at Agawa Hill (1959) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation The photo above illustrates some of the difficult terrain that was encountered when building the Trans-Canada Highway around the northern and eastern shores of Lake Superior. Grading the Agawa Hill section of Hwy 17 took several years to complete. The path for the new highway was notched out of a nearly vertical rock face. The difference in elevation between the bottom of this rock fill and the top of the rock cut is about 180 feet (55 metres).  Above - Aerial view of the completed Michipicoten River Bridge on Hwy 17 south of Wawa in 1959, taken about one year prior to the highway's opening. Compare this 1959 photo to the 1960 photo below, which shows the highway after paving operations were completed and the highway was opened to traffic. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - New Hwy 17 Bridge over the River Aux Sables in Massey (1959) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation Right - Junction of Hwy 17 and Hwy 129 in Thessalon, facing west (1959) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
Above - New Winnipeg River Bridge under construction on Hwy 17 west of Kenora (1959) Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - Postcard showing the massive Little Pic River Bridge on Hwy 17 near Marathon (ca. 1959) Right - Postcard of the Great River Road Monument at Longbow Corners at the Junction of Hwy 17 & Hwy 71 near Kenora (ca. 1960) 
 Left - Postcard view of the Keewatin Channel Bridge on Hwy 17 west of Kenora (ca. 1960) Photo courtesy of Western Smallware & Stationery Co. Right - Autumn view of Duchesnay Falls on the Hwy 17 Bypass west of North Bay (1960) Photo courtesy of William Forder - © 1960  Above - Aerial view of the Michipicoten River Bridge on Hwy 17 south of Wawa. This photograph was taken only a few days after the highway was opened to traffic in September 1960. The completion of the Trans-Canada Highway at Wawa marked the end of one of the largest highway construction projects in Ontario's history. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation 
 Left - North Bay Bypass near Duchesnay Creek facing east (July 2, 1960) Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-162-5-166, Photo #453) Right - New Cobden Railway Overhead on Highway 17 (June 14, 1961) Photo Courtesy of Archives of Ontario (Series RG-14-162-5-166, Photo #1381-6) 
 Left - Aerial view postcard of new Hwy 17 rock cut through Kama Mountain (ca. 1965) Right - Postcard showing massive rock cut on new Cavers Hill Pass (ca. 1965)  Above - Postcard view of Hwy 17 bridge over Winnipeg River in Kenora (ca. 1965) 
Above - Placing a steel girder on the new Cameron Bay Bridge in 1970. The old timber truss bridge at left was constructed in 1938, and was demolished in 1971. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation  Above - Rock cut at Cavers Hill, prior to highway widening (1978) Photo Courtesy of Walter Muma - © 1978 |
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