|
Hello! My name is Cameron Bevers and I live in Toronto, Ontario. I have been
interested in roads and maps for about as long as I can remember. In recent years, I have
become particularly fascinated by the history of Ontario's highway system. I have always
enjoyed travelling in Ontario, and I have numerous photographs of some unusual sights and
places on the province's highways. I have now completely driven the entire 21,500 km provincial highway
network of Ontario, a personal goal which I have been working towards for the past few years. I
completed my last section of the Ontario highway network near Rainy River (Hwy 600) in
September, 2006. I am also writing a book about Ontario's transportation heritage, which
I hope to have ready for publishing in 2016.
|
 Taking a Break on Hwy 17 at Agawa Bay Lookout, Lake Superior |
|---|
|
In 2009, I graduated from the Transportation Engineering Technology (Honours) program at Mohawk College in Hamilton. Currently, I am employed with the
Ontario Ministry of Transportation as a Project Manager in Central Region's Highway Engineering Division at Downsview. However, my interests in Ontario's
Highways extend far beyond my professional life. I attend many of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation's work shops and planning meetings in order to
stay informed of recent developments in the transportation field. For me, Ontario's
highway history is also a hobby. I am an avid collector of Ontario's early highway maps, highway photographs, highway signs and license plates. Whenever I
am not developing my professional career or my website, I like to snowboard, learn martial arts (particularly ju-jitsu), ride my ATV, go camping, read, and
most importantly, drive around and explore the province's highways.
|  Exploring the mighty QEW Bridge at Bronte Creek
|
|---|
|
I am not even going to try to convince you that there is anything "normal" about my strange
hobby. I know that what I do is weird. I am often the recipient of confused and curious glances
from passers-by when I am out doing my field research. Admittedly, taking photographs of old bridges, culverts and
chewed-up pieces of abandoned road pavement is not what most people would call interesting
historical research. For me, it is a hunt for tangible history - a sort of modern-day
"transportation archaeology", if you wish. Most people are not aware of the amount of history
that surrounds Ontario's highways, which is unfortunate given the important role that our
highways have played in the province's development. I'm certain that many people could care
less about the history of our highways. However, if you are reading these words, you have clearly
located my website out there in cyberspace and the topic of highway history obviously intrigues
you to at least some extent. |
|---|
|
History as a whole has always been one of my main interests. It was one of my university majors,
so it seemed fitting to construct a historical website on a topic that I really enjoy. About half of my
research time is spent on the roads of Ontario, looking for pieces of history that have been
more or less forgotten. I tend to take a lot of photographs of my historical "finds", as one
should never assume that these historical features will be around forever. Time is slowly taking
its toll on much of Ontario's transportation heritage. I hope that this website will help to
preserve and document the changes to the King's Highway System as the years pass.
|
 Exploring an old concrete culvert
from the 1930s - 1000 Islands Parkway |
|---|
|
A Quest Finally Accomplished:
For as long as I can remember, I have stared at Ontario road maps wondering what was at the
end of Hwy 599. This highway is Ontario's northernmost provincial highway, extending nearly
300 kilometres from Ignace to the old gold mining towns of Central Patricia and Pickle Lake.
Ever since I was a kid, I have wanted to drive to the end of Hwy 599. I vowed that I would
do it as soon as a got my driver's license at the age of 16. Unfortunately, reality set in
after I got my license. First of all, I didn't own a car, nor did I have the money to make
the 1,700 kilometre trip (each way) to Ignace just to get to the beginning of Hwy 599. When
I finished university, I began exploring Northern Ontario. I have made a tradition
of venturing to Northern Ontario every August. Each year, I ventured a little further north.
In 2001, I finally made it to Ignace for the first time. However, poor weather and a lack of
time forced me to postpone my trip to the end of Hwy 599. On my next visit to the Ignace area
in 2003, I made it a priority to drive Hwy 599 from end-to-end. On August 24, 2003, I finally
drove past the "Hwy 599 Ends" sign shown here, ending a long-standing desire to see what was at the
end of Hwy 599.
|
 I finally did it!! |
|---|
|
And Then There Was Armstrong....
Armstrong was another place that I had always wanted to drive to. After conquering Hwy 599 in
2003, I set my sights on Armstrong, located about 250 km north of Thunder Bay. Armstrong is
actually located further south than other northern communities with provincial highway access,
such as Aroland, Savant Lake and the Red Lake Area. However, when compared to Hwy 599, the
highway access to Armstrong is equivalently desolate. In 2004, I was vacationing in the Thunder Bay area when
I decided it was time to complete Hwy 527. I did actually drive a portion of Hwy 527 back
in 2001, but I did not have enough time on that trip to complete the highway. I finally
completed the 240 km highway to Armstrong on September 2, 2004.
|
 Another milestone!! |
|---|
|
The Last Mile:
In 2001, I had decided to systematically drive all of Ontario's provincial highways from end-to-end. At that time, I had completed about 60% of Ontario's
highway system. By 2006, I only had a handful of highways left to drive. The longest outstanding provincial highway that I had left to accomplish was a
section of Hwy 600, near Rainy River, and I deliberately saved this segment for last. I did this because it was over 2,000 km from my home town of Waterloo,
meaning that it was a particularly good "final" milestone to accomplish. During the summer of 2006, I nibbled away at my other outstanding highway links. I
finally completed the last leg in the Ontario provincial highway system (Hwy 600) at Rainy River on September 3, 2006. As far as I know, I am the only
person in history who has actually completed the entire Ontario highway system.
|
 The final milestone!! |
|---|
