Ontario Highway 812 Photographs - History of Ontario's Kings Highways

All photographs displayed on this page were taken by the Webmaster (Cameron Bevers), unless specifically noted otherwise. Historical photographs are arranged in approximate chronological order, while present day photographs (Year 2000 to date) are arranged by location from south to north. 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 Tertiary Highway 812 Photographs

Left - Grading operations along Hwy 812 (later known as Hwy 502) about 75 miles north of the Hwy 11 Junction, Contract #1975-406. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1975.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1975)

Right - Construction of Hwy 812 (later known as Hwy 502) south of Dryden in 1976, Contract #1976-416. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1976.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1976)

Left - New rock cut on Hwy 812 (later known as Hwy 502) about 40 miles north of the Hwy 11 Junction near Fort Frances in 1977, Contract #1977-404. The completion of the Manitou Road (Hwy 812) in 1980 resulted in a brand new north-south provincial highway link between Hwy 11 and Dryden in Northwestern Ontario. The highway distance between Dryden and Fort Frances was reduced by over 120 km as a result of the completion of Hwy 812. Previously, highway traffic had to use Hwy 71 via Emo and Sioux Narrows to travel between Dryden and Fort Frances. Tertiary Highway 812 was renumbered as Secondary Highway 502 in 1981, since it was now a through highway as opposed to a forest resource access road. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1977.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1977)

Right - Drainage ditch grading on Hwy 812 (later known as Hwy 502) about 40 miles north of the Hwy 11 Junction, Contract #1977-404. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1978.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1978)

Above - Completed section of Hwy 812 (later known as Hwy 502) at a rock cut north of the Hwy 11 Junction, Contract #1979-415. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken in 1980.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1980)

Above - Northern Affairs Minister Leo Bernier and Transportation Minister James Snow shake hands after officially opening the Manitou Road (Hwy 812) to traffic between Dryden and Fort Frances on October 31, 1980. The entire route of Hwy 812 was renumbered as Hwy 502 by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications about 3 months after this photo was taken. The new highway link between Dryden and Fort Frances took 8 years to construct at a cost (in 1980 Dollars) of about $30 million, the equivalent of roughly $105 million in 2024 Dollars. See an Enlarged Photo Here. Photo taken on October 31, 1980.
(Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Transportation - © King's Printer for Ontario, 1980)

Present Day Tertiary Highway 812 Photographs

Please Note - Tertiary Highway 812 was renumbered as Secondary Highway 502 (#2) in 1981. To see post-1981 photos of Hwy 812, please visit the Hwy 502 Photos Page.

Links to Adjacent Highway Photograph Pages: