Ontario Highway 69 Photographs - Page 1 - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

Above - Circa 1937 aerial postcard view of Hwy 69 through Bala, facing northwest. The Town of Bala is situated at the southwestern tip of Lake Muskoka. For decades, the town's harbour served as a major transportation hub for vacationers, as it was the location of a lakeside Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) station and a steamship wharf. As the 1930s progressed, many improvements were made to the Gravenhurst-Parry Sound Road, via Bala and MacTier. A mulch asphalt pavement was completed between Gravenhurst and Bala in 1936, along with several revisions to the road's alignment. Ultimately, this road was taken over by the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) as King's Highway 69 in August 1937, after DHO was amalgamated with the Department of Northern Development. The provision of a paved highway link into the heart of Muskoka's cottage country opened up the region to a new era of motor tourism. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken circa 1937.
(Photo from Cameron Bevers' historical photograph collection - Original photographer unknown)

Above - View of the newly-completed Hwy 69 Extension north of Parry Sound between Pointe-au-Baril and Britt shortly after opening to public travel in 1939. A cloud of dust erupts from behind an approaching car on the new highway - a gritty condition which early motorists on Hwy 69 would have no doubt been very familiar with. While some paving work took place along Hwy 69 in the Parry Sound area in the late 1930s, it wasn't until 1947 that a bituminous prime layer was applied to Hwy 69 between Pointe-au-Baril and Britt in an effort to stabilize the road surface and control dust. For more than a decade, Hwy 69 came to a dead-end in Britt. It wasn't until the mid-1950s that Hwy 69 was completed in its entirety between Parry Sound and Sudbury. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on August 7, 1939.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1939)

Above - Circa 1945 postcard view of Hwy 69 through Bala. This Wartime view of Bala's Main Street shows several of the town's commercial establishments, including the Cotton Club Grill and Dunn's Pavilion situated directly behind it at right. This famous Big Band-era dance hall was built on the shores of Lake Muskoka in 1942 by local business proprietor, Gerry Dunn. Dunn's Pavilion was seen as a mecca for Muskoka's summer tourists and hosted some of the largest names in the entertainment industry in the ensuing years. Dunn's Pavilion changed hands over the years and now operates as "The Kee to Bala" today. As in yesteryear, the venue still draws large crowds to its concerts and events at the Bala waterfront each summer. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken circa 1945.
(Photo courtesy of Canadian Airmaps Ltd, Toronto)

Above - Postcard view of Muskoka Road (Hwy 11 & Hwy 69) in Downtown Gravenhurst in 1947. This photo was taken shortly before the first Gravenhurst Bypass was built in the late 1940s. At the time this photo was taken, both Hwy 11 & Hwy 69 followed Gravenhurst's Main Street. The concurrent, overlapped route between Hwy 11 & Hwy 69 came to an end just ahead at the intersection of Muskoka Road and Bay Street. The route of Hwy 11 continued straight ahead via Muskoka Road towards Bracebridge, while Hwy 69 turned left onto Bay Street and headed northwesterly out of Gravenhurst towards Bala, MacTier and Parry Sound. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1947.
(Photo courtesy of Henry Fry)

Above - New junction of Hwy 11 & Hwy 69 south of Gravenhurst in 1949. This photo shows the new junction of Hwy 11 and Hwy 69 on the first Gravenhurst Bypass, which opened to traffic in 1948. The original junction of these two highways was located in Downtown Gravenhurst, at Muskoka Road and Bay Street. The newly-built highway junction seen here was revised slightly in the ensuing years, but can still be found today just north of the current Hwy 11 Interchange, adjacent to the Gravenhurst McDonald's restaurant. Click here to see a 2005 view of this intersection. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 9, 1949.
(Photo © Archives of Ontario - Series RG-14-162-5-121, Photo #327)

Left - View of Hwy 11 & Hwy 69 facing south towards the Severn River Bridge through a new rock cut on the Severn Bridge Diversion. During the late 1940s, about 14 miles of Hwy 11 was reconstructed on an improved alignment between Washago and Gravenhurst under Contract #1947-82. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on June 9, 1949.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1949)

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Right - Circa 1950 aerial postcard view of Hwy 69 at Bala Falls. Here, Lake Muskoka drains out into the Moon River via three separate chutes. Altogether, three bridges carried Hwy 69 across these waterfalls. The northernmost of the three bridges was a small concrete structure which is not visible in this photo. However, the central and southern structures can be seen in this aerial view. Both of these bridges were supplanted by Bailey Bridges in 1951. The old narrow bridges were simply not able to keep pace with the growing Post-War traffic volumes along Hwy 69. Until they were replaced with two-lane structures, vehicles had to take turns crossing these bridges in alternating directions, which resulted in traffic delays particularly in summer. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken circa 1950.
(Photo courtesy of Thatcher Studios)

Above - View of the DHO Roadside Park on Hwy 69 at Oastler Lake, located 5 miles south of Parry Sound in 1950. This 30-acre park was the largest of the six roadside parks operated by the DHO along Hwy 69. Oastler Lake Park included a beach, campground, kitchen, washrooms and showers for the convenience of motorists using the highway. Administration of the roadside park was eventually transferred from the DHO to the Department of Lands and Forests and was then designated as Oastler Lake Provincial Park. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on August 11, 1950.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1950)

Above - Scenic view of the Magnetawan River showing the proposed site of the new Trans-Canada Highway Bridge from the existing Magnetawan River Bridge on Hwy 69, 3 miles south of Britt. At left, one of the picnic tables of the Magnetawan River Roadside Park can be seen perched high above the river. This small 1 acre park site was established in the 1940s and offered motorists travelling along Hwy 69 a scenic stopping point beside the river along with a number of campsites. During the Summer of 1958, construction got underway on a new Hwy 69 Bridge across the narrows of the Magnetawan River seen in the foreground of this photo. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on August 11, 1950.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1950)

Left - Grading for the proposed Key River Bridge on the new Hwy 69 Extension, facing north towards Sudbury in 1950. For many years, a large gap existed in the route of Hwy 69 between Britt and Burwash. Traffic from Southern Ontario was forced to use the rather circuitous route of Hwy 11 and Hwy 17 via North Bay in order to reach Sudbury. The last gap in the route of Hwy 69 was completed and opened to traffic between the French River and Burwash in 1955, after an aggressive seven-year highway construction program. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on August 11, 1950.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1950)

Right - Temporary Bailey Bridge over the Pickerel River on the Hwy 69 Extension north of Britt, shown shortly after installation in 1951. This temporary bridge remained in service until a permanent steel truss bridge was completed across the Pickerel River in 1955. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on August 1, 1951.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1951)

Above - View of a completed section of the new Hwy 69 Extension, 1/4 mile north of Bekanon Station near Still River. Although the route of Hwy 69 was completed to the Britt area in 1939, construction operations from Britt northerly towards Sudbury had to be suspended due to the outbreak of World War II. The first in a series of Post-War construction contracts to complete Hwy 69 through to Sudbury was awarded in 1948, under Contract #1948-92. This first contract called for the extension of Hwy 69 northerly for 5 miles from Britt towards the Key River. By 1952, Hwy 69 was completed to a point just beyond the French River, which finally allowed through traffic to reach Sudbury via Hwy 69 and the Hagar-Rutter Road. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on August 1, 1951.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1951)

Above - Aerial view of Gravenhurst in 1952, facing south from Lake Muskoka. In this photo, Hwy 69 can be seen entering town at right from Bala, while Hwy 11 can be seen approaching Gravenhurst from Orillia in the distance. The photo also shows the first Gravenhurst Bypass which was built in the late 1940s along the shores of Gull Lake at left. Once the bypass was completed in 1948, through traffic on Hwy 11 could bypass the downtown area and also avoid two at-grade railway crossings along Hwy 11's original route. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1952.
(Photo © Archives of Ontario - Series RG-65-35, Photo #I-0019278)

Left - Grading for the new Hwy 69 Extension near the French River. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on August 28, 1952.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1952)

Right - Temporary Bailey Bridge on the Hwy 69 Extension over the French River south of Rutter in 1952. This impressive Bailey Bridge was 140 feet in length. The temporary structure carried Hwy 69 traffic up until 1957, when a permanent bridge over the French River was completed. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on August 29, 1952.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1952)

Left - Clearing for a new diversion of Hwy 69 south of Gordon Bay in 1953 under Contract #1952-109. This photo quite vividly contrasts the old and new routes of Hwy 69 as a result of the Trans-Canada Highway's construction during the 1950s. The old winding highway at right is set to be superseded by the new Trans-Canada Highway route of Hwy 69 at left, which is being constructed on a vastly-improved alignment. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on August 7, 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

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Right - Heavy grading on a diversion of Hwy 69 south of Sudbury. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photograph taken in 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Left - Traffic on a completed section of Hwy 69 between Nobel and Byng Inlet. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photograph taken in 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Right - Two-span timber truss bridge across the Magnetawan River on Hwy 69 north of Byng Inlet. This magnificent timber bridge was completed in 1936, but was removed in 1960 when the current concrete arch bridge was put into service. Only the timber bridge's piers remain today. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photograph taken in 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Left - Newly-graded section of the Hwy 69 Extension north of the Pickerel River Bridge in 1953, constructed under Contract #1950-21. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photograph taken in 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Right - Temporary alignment for Hwy 69 north of the French River, which connected the newly-built Hwy 69 Extension to the Hagar-Rutter Road (which is today's Hwy 64 & Hwy 535). This temporary alignment was opened to allow through traffic to go directly from Parry Sound to Sudbury via Hagar, while Hwy 69 was still being constructed between Burwash and the French River. This temporary connector road is now known as Hwy 607. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photograph taken in 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Above - Close-up view of the map on a guide sign at the end of Hwy 69 at French River, which directed Sudbury-bound traffic down the temporary highway connection to the Hagar-Rutter Road. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photograph taken in 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Above - Temporary Bailey Bridge on Hwy 69 over the French River in 1953. The temporary bridge was originally installed in 1951, so that construction traffic working on the new Hwy 69 Extension could cross the French River. The bridge was put into service for public travel in August 1952, when Hwy 69 was finally punched through to the Hagar-Rutter Road near French River Station. The present steel truss bridge over the French River was constructed directly overhead of this Bailey Bridge in 1957. Note the large stone cross beside the highway at right, which was erected by the Georgian Bay Association to commemorate the historic voyage of Samuel de Champlain down the French River in the year 1615. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on September 2, 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Above - Completed Murdock River Arch Culvert on a new section of the Trans-Canada Highway (Hwy 69), located about 6 miles south of Burwash. The culvert itself was built under Contract #1952-43, with the highway grading constructed under Contract #1950-219. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on September 2, 1953.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1953)

Above - Old single-lane bridge on Hwy 69 across Bala Falls before replacement. The old steel pony truss bridge seen here was closed and taken out of service in 1951, with Hwy 69 traffic diverted across a temporary Bailey Bridge installation at left. After a delayed construction start due to Post-War shortages of structural steel, a contract for a permanent replacement structure over Bala Falls was tendered in the Winter of 1954 under Contract #1954-44. A new steel girder structure was opened to traffic at this location in 1955. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on April 8, 1954.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1954)

Left - Facing north along Hwy 69 at Gordon Bay, approaching the old and new bridges over Portage Creek. A substantial diversion of Hwy 69 was constructed at Gordon Bay in the 1950s in order to bypass an old narrow bridge over Portage Creek and eliminate a particularly dangerous and concealed curve on the original route of Hwy 69. The grading work for the Hwy 69 revision was constructed under Contract #1952-109, while the replacement Portage Creek Bridge was constructed under Contract #1954-03. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on July 8, 1954.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1954)

Right - Temporary Bailey Bridge on Hwy 69 over the Wanapitei River south of Sudbury. Note the permanent bridge under construction at right. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on September 26, 1955.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1955)

Left - New permanent steel bridge over the Pickerel River located about 14 miles north of Britt, Contract #1953-28. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on October 19, 1955.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1955)

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Right - Completed Trans-Canada Highway route of Hwy 69, facing south near Portage Creek. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on October 20, 1955.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1955)

Above - Graded approaches to the proposed Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Overhead on the MacTier Bypass, facing south from Sta. 248+50. This one was of two new railway grade separations constructed along the new Trans-Canada Highway route between Foot's Bay and Port Severn. The MacTier Bypass initially opened to traffic under the Hwy 103 designation in 1958, but was later renumbered as Hwy 69 in 1976. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on October 20, 1955.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1955)

Above - Rock cut on the new Trans-Canada Highway built by McLaughlan Construction under Contract #1954-150, facing south from Sta. 736+00. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on October 20, 1955.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1955)

Left - Circa 1955 postcard view of the Welcome Arch on Old Hwy 11 & Hwy 69 at the southern entrance to Gravenhurst. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo courtesy of Henry Fry)

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Right - Completed steel girder bridge over Bala Falls on Hwy 69, Contract #1954-44. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on October 20, 1955.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1955)

Left - Completed Trans-Canada Highway route of Hwy 69 approaching the new Portage Creek Bridge at Gordon Bay. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on October 20, 1955.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1955)

Right - Completed Wanapitei River Bridge on Hwy 69 south of Sudbury. This new structure was built under Contracts #1955-77 (structural steel) and #1955-110 (concrete substructure and approaches). See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on October 15, 1956.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1956)

Above - Permanent French River Bridge on Hwy 69 south of Rutter, as seen shortly after completion in 1957. Note the temporary Bailey Bridge below the new highway bridge, which is the same one seen in this 1953 Photo taken from the opposite side of the French River. The Bailey Bridge was in service carrying Hwy 69 traffic from 1952 up until 1957. It was removed from the site shortly after the new French River Bridge was opened to traffic. The permanent French River structure was built under Contracts #1955-132 (structural steel) and #1955-237 (concrete substructure and approaches). See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on September 6, 1957.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1957)

Above - Newly-built Hart Bridge on Ontario County Road 21 (Old Hwy 69, today's Simcoe County Road 44), 1/4 mile south of Washago in 1957. This section of Hwy 69 was bypassed in the early 1950s by a new straighter highway alignment which connected to Hwy 12 at Brechin. The section of Hwy 69 from Brechin to MacTier was renumbered as Hwy 169 in 1976. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on October 23, 1957.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1957)

Left - Circa 1957 aerial postcard view of the Severn River Bridge on Hwy 11 & Hwy 69 between Washago and Gravenhurst. This three-span steel truss structure was completed by the DHO in 1931. The bridge was replaced in 1966 when Hwy 11 was expanded from two to four lanes. See an Enlarged Photo Here.
(Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Postcard Company)

Right - Cleared right-of-way for the revised Trans-Canada Highway alignment of Hwy 69 near Moose Lake under Contract #1957-159, between Pointe-au-Baril and the Magnetawan River. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1958.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1958)

Left - Rock cut and graded right-of-way on the revised alignment of Hwy 69 near Pointe-au-Baril in 1958. Significant sections of the original 1930s alignment of Hwy 69 in the Pointe-au-Baril area were bypassed by a new Hwy 69 (Trans-Canada Highway) alignment in the 1950s and early 1960s. The original route of Hwy 69 followed today's Shebeshekong Road and Hwy 529. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1958.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1958)

Right - Replacement of the Shawanaga River Bridge on Hwy 69 between Parry Sound and Pointe-au-Baril in 1959. The original timber through truss bridge across the Shawanaga River was constructed by the Department of Northern Development in 1936. The Parry Sound-Pointe-au-Baril Trunk Road was designated as King's Highway 69 in 1937, after the amalgamation of the Department of Northern Development and the Department of Highways. The new Shawanaga River Bridge at left was built under Contracts #1957-181 (structural steel) and #1957-601 (concrete substructure and approaches). The bridge is still in service on Hwy 69 today. The old abutments of the 1936 timber structure at right are still visible on the eastern side of the present day Hwy 69. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1959.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1959)