20th Century History:  Building the Highway

In the spring of 1946, the Department of Highways’ surveyors moved into Ear Falls, planning a route for the Red Lake Highway.  With Lac Seul running north-south to the east and the lakes of the Cedar River system running north-south to the west, they had little choice, the highway had to pass through Ear Falls. At Ear Falls their progress was halted by the mighty English River. A half mile long bridge was an undertaking the government was not prepared to finance. The only narrowing of the English River was where the dam had been built over Lower Ear Falls, and the dam was barely wide enough to support single lane traffic but, it was the only economical solution. The highway would go right across the dam with controlling traffic lights at either side of the dam.  That system was in operation until the new bridge was built in 1984.

The 115 miles of highway between Vermilion Bay and Red Lake was contracted out in 8 mile sections.  Machinery roared beneath a haze of dust while bulldozers tore through trees and gouged gravel pits from the hill sides.  By January, 1947, some sections of the Red Lake Highway No. 105 had been gravelled and graded.  Other sections were just rough, bulldozed trails through the bush. In August, 1947, the Red Lake Highway was officially opened by the Honourable George Drew, Premier of Ontario. However, at that time, some sections of the highway were still in poor shape. Department of Highways maintenance camps were set up at Perrault Falls and close to the highway at Pakwash Lake, now part of Pakwash Provincial Park. As the weeks went by more and more traffic moved into Red Lake by this new overland route.  By 1948 the highway had improved. Even heavy traffic could get through and a new era had begun.