Ontario Highway 68 Photographs - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

This page contains historical photos of Ontario's King's Highway 68 dating from 1937 to 1980. 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. Please note that Highway 68 was renumbered as Highway 6 in 1980. All post-1980 photographs of Highway 68 are located on the Highway 6 Photos Pages. 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!

Historical King's Highway 68 Photographs

Above - Postcard view of the Espanola-Little Current Trunk Road (Hwy 68) near West River in 1935. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo courtesy of N. Cummings, Massey)

Left - Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) ferry arriving at the Little Current Ferry Dock on Hwy 68 in 1940. While Manitoulin Island is connected by a highway bridge today, the island was once only accessible by highway traffic via a ferry service. In 1944, construction began on retrofits to the Little Current Railway Swing Bridge so that Hwy 68 traffic could cross the North Channel to Manitoulin Island whenever the swing bridge was not being used by railway traffic. The road link via the Little Current Swing Bridge was opened to Hwy 68 traffic on November 28, 1945. That day, the DHO ferry "Jaqueline" made its final crossing of the North Channel, which separated Manitoulin Island from the contiguous section of Hwy 68 leading north to Espanola. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on September 13, 1940.
(Photo © Archives of Ontario - RG-14-162-3, Cont. A1354, Photo #3017S)

Right - Facing north towards the Little Current Swing Bridge across the North Channel on Hwy 68 in 1945. This railway bridge was retrofitted by the DHO in 1944-1945 to allow for highway traffic to cross the structure whenever the bridge was not in use by railway traffic. Since the narrow bridge could only accommodate one direction of highway traffic at a time, traffic signals were installed at each end of the structure to alternate the right-of-way between northbound and southbound traffic on Hwy 68. A DHO ferry service which ran between the mainland and Manitoulin Island was discontinued once Hwy 68 was extended into the Town of Little Current. It is believed that this photo of Hwy 68 was taken immediately after the retrofitted railway bridge was officially opened to traffic on November 28, 1945. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1945)

Above - Monument on Hwy 68 at McGregor Bay, commemorating the visit of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1943. The new monument was unveiled by the DHO in June 1946, almost three years after the President's visit to Ontario, prior to his attendance at the Quebec Conference. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 16, 1946.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1946)

Above - Facing north along Hwy 68 towards Tower Hill north of Whitefish Falls in 1946. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo from Cameron Bevers' historical photograph collection - Original photographer unknown)

Above - Hwy 68 at Tower Hill north of Whitefish Falls. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on September 2, 1950.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1950)

Above - Completed grading project on Hwy 68, 1 1/2 miles south of Sheguiandah. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1956.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1956)

Left - Early construction on the new Spanish River Bridge on Hwy 68 in Espanola in 1958. In this photo, the north concrete bridge abutment was still being cast. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1958.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1958)

Right - Facing north along Hwy 68 towards Little Current at the new arch culvert over Sheguiandah Creek in 1958. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1958.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1958)

Left - Construction of the new Spanish River Bridge on Hwy 68 in Espanola in 1958. Note the temporary Bailey Bridge at left, which carried traffic throughout the construction project. In this photo, the steel deck truss construction can be seen progressing from the southern end of the bridge. The new Spanish River Bridge opened to traffic in 1960, after three years of construction. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1958.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1958)

Right - Completed grading on a realignment of Hwy 68 at Loon Lake 4 miles south of Espanola, Contract #1958-30. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1959.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1959)

Left - Construction progress on the new Spanish River Bridge on Hwy 68 in Espanola, Contract #1957-283. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1959.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1959)

Right - Heavy grading and excavation for a new rock cut on a realignment of Hwy 68 south of Espanola, Contract #1959-90. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1959.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1959)

Above - Rock excavation for a realignment of Hwy 68 south of Espanola, Contract #1959-90. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1959.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1959)

Left - Spanish River Bridge nearing completion on Hwy 68 in Espanola. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1960.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1960)

Right - New rock cut on Hwy 68, 3 miles north of Whitefish Falls. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1961.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1961)

Above - Construction of the Whitefish River Bridge on Hwy 68 at Whitefish Falls in 1962, facing west. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1962)

Above - Close-up of the construction scaffolding for the new Whitefish River Bridge on Hwy 68 at Whitefish Falls in 1962. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1962)

Above - Construction of the Whitefish River Bridge on Hwy 68 at Whitefish Falls, facing east (1962)
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1962)

Above - Postcard view of a reconstructed section of Hwy 68 at Tower Hill north of Whitefish Falls in 1962. See an Enlarged Photo Here.

Present Day King's Highway 68 Photographs

More King's Highway 68 Photographs Coming Soon!

Links to Adjacent King's Highway Photograph Pages: