List of Ontario Historic Colonization Roads
Encyclopedia
The Colonization Roads were roads created during the 1840s and 1850s to open up or provide access to areas in Central and Eastern Ontario
for settlement and agricultural
development. The colonization roads were used by settlers, much like modern-day highways, to lead them towards areas for settlement.
, a majority of which is now Ontario, appropriated settlers to various lots which had been surveyed along the lake shores of Lake Erie
and Lake Ontario
. The townships established along these fronts contained generally fertile land composed of glacial till and clay-rich loam
. As these townships filled up, business opportunities presented themselves for investors to purchase native
lands and open them to settlement. The Canada Company was the most successful of these ventures, and attracted settlers to vast areas of land in Western Ontario by building routes such as the Huron Road
and the Toronto–Sydenham Road during the 1830s and 1840s. As these areas too filled, the government came under pressure to open up the unforgiving terrain of the Canadian Shield
to settlement, and sought to establish a network of east–west and north–south roads between the Ottawa Valley
and Georgian Bay
. This area was known as the Ottawa–Huron Tract.
In 1847, an exploration survey
was carried out by Robert Bell
to lay out the lines that would become the Opeongo Road, Hastings Road and Addington Road. The Public Lands Act, passed in 1853, permitted the granting of land to settlers who were at least 18. Those settlers who cleared at least 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) within four years, built a house within a year and resided on the grant for at least five years would receive the title to that land. The government subsequently built over 1600 kilometres (994.2 mi) of roads over the following 20 years to provide access to these grants.
However, the promises of fertile land in this new northern tract of wilderness proved false. Beneath thin layers of sparsely spread soil was solid granite. Where this granite descended deeper, valleys formed and filled with muskeg
. Despite an early influx of settlers, the vast majority of grants were abandoned by the turn of the century; only 40% remained. During the first half of the 1900s, many of these colonization roads were incorporated into the growing provincial highway network. Some sections were improved to modern highway standards, while others were subsequently bypassed
or abandoned. The roads that were not incorporated as highways either became local roads or were consumed by nature.
Though many other roads in the province can be considered "colonization roads", such as the Provincial Road (Highway 2
), the Talbot Trail (Highway 3
), the Garafraxa Road (Highway 6) and the Penetanguishene Road (Highway 93
), they were either constructed for military purposes, or by private investment.
these roads pass through is interlaced with many hills, lakes, forests, swamps and bedrock
outcroppings. The location of many of these roads is in the Canadian Shield, among the most rugged terrain in all of Ontario. The soil is generally thin and unsuitable for the agricultural development that these roads were built to spur.
Most of the colonization roads are not provincially maintained highways. Instead they follow county roads, and local town/township roads. A few have even been converted into hiking trails and bike trails.
counties and much of Haliburton County. The road begins in the village of Bobcaygeon and travels north through Minden
, ending north of the old Peterson Road (Highway 118). The old road was surveyed as far north as the Oxtongue river, but never improved beyond that. It now forms the boundary between Minden and Algonquin Highlands and further north the boundary between Muskoka and Haliburton
. The former Highway 649 and Highway 121
were eventually assigned along the majority of the southern half of this road. From Minden north to Highway 118 the road is a paved township road. Between Ox Narrows and Dorset, Highway 35 generally follows the original survey line.
to Minden
and is now the route of Highway 35.
with the Nipissing Road in Commanda. Today, Highway 124 largely follows the old road.
and travelled northwest, bisecting the Addington Road near Denbigh. It ended at the Hastings Road in Bancroft
, where the Monck Road continued west. Today, Brule Lake Road and Buckshot Lake Road (Lennox and Addington County Road 30) follow a majority of the southwest portion of the road. Between Denbigh and Bancroft, Highway 28 travels adjacent to the old road, which has generally been consumed by the forest.
at that time.
An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected by the province to commemorate the role of the Monck Road in Ontario's heritage.
. A series of towns eventually would flourish along its length, but the first of these was Bracebridge
. East of Muskoka Falls, Thomas J. McMurray established a 400 acres (1,618,744 m²) townsite in the spring of 1861 at the intersection of the Muskoka Road and Peterson Road.
Construction on the Muskoka Road began in 1858. At the time of Bracebridge's founding, the road did not extend beyond the Muskoka River. It was opened as far as Sundridge
by 1875. Today Highway 11 follows a majority of the route, but bypasses it in several locations, notably between Bracebridge and Huntsville
.
| Highway 510
| Highway 518
near Seguin Falls
(ghost town
). Technically, it extends south as the Nipissing Trail down to Highway 141
near Rosseau
| Highway 522
in Commanda
| Rosseau
beginning in 1854, reaching as far as the Hastings Road in Whitney by 1865; thereafter the survey line continued to Opeongo Lake
. Today, Highway 60 follows the old road between Algonquin Park and east of Barry's Bay. At that point, the road branches out to the southeast, following portions of Renfrew County Road 66, 512 and 64. Approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) west of Dacre, it encounters Highway 41. From there to Renfrew, Highway 132 follows the old road.
, Raymond Road, Manitoba Street
| Highway 400/Highway 69
, Highway 141
, Muskoka District
Road 35, Muskoka District Road 4
| Parry Sound
| Bracebridge
| Parry Sound
Horseshoe Lake
Rosseau
Bracebridge
and travelled east to Maynooth
, where it met the Hastings Road. From Maynooth, its snaked its way northeast to Barry's Bay on the Opeongo Line.
Today, the section from Bracebridge to Maynooth has mostly been consumed by the forest, though Highway 118 follows adjacent to the old road as far as Haliburton. A small section remains as a local township road, east of Carnarvon
, named Tulip Road. Between Haliburton and Kennaway, on the shores of Elephant Lake, the old road is untraceable. East of Kenneway, the road is locally maintained but accessible. Between Maynooth and Barry's Bay, former Highway 62 follows the old road.
. The Lavant Road branches off to the east at approximately the midpoint of the road. Today, County Road 36 follows the Snow Road through Lanark County
, while the former Highway 509 follows the portion lying within Frontenac County.
. It then followed the Black River north-east to the Peterson Road in Vankoughnet; this part of the road fell into disuse in the late 1800s. Between 1956 and 1998, the portion of The Victoria Road between Highway 46 (Highway 48
after 1975) and Highway 503
was designated as Secondary Highway 505. On January 1, 1998, the entire road south of Uphill was designated as Victoria County Road 35. Victoria County was restructured as the city Kawartha Lakes
on January 1, 2001, which renamed the road as Kawartha Lakes Road 35.
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...
for settlement and agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
development. The colonization roads were used by settlers, much like modern-day highways, to lead them towards areas for settlement.
History
During the early-1800s, the government of Upper CanadaUpper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
, a majority of which is now Ontario, appropriated settlers to various lots which had been surveyed along the lake shores of Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
and Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
. The townships established along these fronts contained generally fertile land composed of glacial till and clay-rich loam
Loam
Loam is soil composed of sand, silt, and clay in relatively even concentration . Loam soils generally contain more nutrients and humus than sandy soils, have better infiltration and drainage than silty soils, and are easier to till than clay soils...
. As these townships filled up, business opportunities presented themselves for investors to purchase native
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
lands and open them to settlement. The Canada Company was the most successful of these ventures, and attracted settlers to vast areas of land in Western Ontario by building routes such as the Huron Road
Ontario Highway 8
Provincial Highway 8 is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its total length is 138.5 km, though it was once much longer, running farther east from Hamilton to Niagara Falls, before the Queen Elizabeth Way replaced its role.- History :Highway 8 is one of the...
and the Toronto–Sydenham Road during the 1830s and 1840s. As these areas too filled, the government came under pressure to open up the unforgiving terrain of the Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
to settlement, and sought to establish a network of east–west and north–south roads between the Ottawa Valley
Ottawa Valley
The Ottawa Valley is the valley along the boundary between Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec along the Ottawa River. The valley is the transition between the Saint Lawrence Lowlands and the Canadian Shield...
and Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...
. This area was known as the Ottawa–Huron Tract.
In 1847, an exploration survey
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
was carried out by Robert Bell
Robert Bell
Robert Bell or Rob Bell may refer to:* Robert Bell , British politician* Robert Bell , Irish journalist & editor* Robert Bell , Canadian legislator* Robert Bell , Canadian legislator...
to lay out the lines that would become the Opeongo Road, Hastings Road and Addington Road. The Public Lands Act, passed in 1853, permitted the granting of land to settlers who were at least 18. Those settlers who cleared at least 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) within four years, built a house within a year and resided on the grant for at least five years would receive the title to that land. The government subsequently built over 1600 kilometres (994.2 mi) of roads over the following 20 years to provide access to these grants.
However, the promises of fertile land in this new northern tract of wilderness proved false. Beneath thin layers of sparsely spread soil was solid granite. Where this granite descended deeper, valleys formed and filled with muskeg
Muskeg
Muskeg is an acidic soil type common in Arctic and boreal areas, although it is found in other northern climates as well. Muskeg is approximately synonymous with bogland but muskeg is the standard term in Western Canada and Alaska, while 'bog' is common elsewhere. The term is of Cree origin, maskek...
. Despite an early influx of settlers, the vast majority of grants were abandoned by the turn of the century; only 40% remained. During the first half of the 1900s, many of these colonization roads were incorporated into the growing provincial highway network. Some sections were improved to modern highway standards, while others were subsequently bypassed
Bypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
or abandoned. The roads that were not incorporated as highways either became local roads or were consumed by nature.
Though many other roads in the province can be considered "colonization roads", such as the Provincial Road (Highway 2
Ontario Highway 2
King's Highway 2, usually referred to simply as Highway 2 is a provincially maintained highway in Ontario. Once the primary east–west route across the southern end of the province, Highway 2 became mostly redundant in the 1960s following the completion of Highway 401, which more or less...
), the Talbot Trail (Highway 3
Ontario Highway 3
King's Highway 3, commonly referred to as Highway 3 and historically as the Talbot Trail, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario which travels parallel to the shore of Lake Erie. It has three segments, the first of which runs from the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor...
), the Garafraxa Road (Highway 6) and the Penetanguishene Road (Highway 93
Ontario Highway 93
King's Highway 93, commonly referred to as Highway 93, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Located entirely within Simcoe County, the highway extends for from an interchange with Highway 400 in Springwater, just south of the community of Hillsdale, to an...
), they were either constructed for military purposes, or by private investment.
Description
The terrainTerrain
Terrain, or land relief, is the vertical and horizontal dimension of land surface. When relief is described underwater, the term bathymetry is used...
these roads pass through is interlaced with many hills, lakes, forests, swamps and bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
outcroppings. The location of many of these roads is in the Canadian Shield, among the most rugged terrain in all of Ontario. The soil is generally thin and unsuitable for the agricultural development that these roads were built to spur.
Most of the colonization roads are not provincially maintained highways. Instead they follow county roads, and local town/township roads. A few have even been converted into hiking trails and bike trails.
List of Colonization Roads
Below is a list of all the colonization roads.Addington Road
The Addington Colonization Road was one of the initial routes surveyed in 1847. The contract to construct the road was awarded to A. B. Perry, who completed more than half of the length from the Clare River to the Opeongo Line by 1856. In the south it began in the village of Clareview and travelled north to the Opeongo Line, where the village of Brudenell was established. From north of Clareview to the community of Ferguson Corners (southwest of Denbigh), Highway 41 follows the old road, though in many places bypasses have been constructed and the old road named Addington Road followed by a number from one to eight. North of Ferguson Corners, the old road has been consumed by the forest, though short spurs are evident west of Denbigh and north and south of Quadeville.Bobcaygeon Road
The Bobcaygeon Colonization Road opened up the northern half of Peterborough and VictoriaVictoria County, Ontario
The County of Victoria, or Victoria County, was a county in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was formed in 1854 as The United Counties of Peterborough and Victoria, and gained independence in 1863. In 2001, the county was dissolved and reformed as the city of Kawartha Lakes...
counties and much of Haliburton County. The road begins in the village of Bobcaygeon and travels north through Minden
Minden, Ontario
Minden Hills is a township in, and the county seat of Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the geographical townships of Snowdon, Lutterworth, Anson, Hindon and Minden. It is usually referred to as Minden, after its largest community. Minden Hills had a permanent population...
, ending north of the old Peterson Road (Highway 118). The old road was surveyed as far north as the Oxtongue river, but never improved beyond that. It now forms the boundary between Minden and Algonquin Highlands and further north the boundary between Muskoka and Haliburton
Haliburton County, Ontario
Haliburton is a county of Ontario, Canada, known as a tourist and cottage area in Central Ontario for its scenery and for its resident artists. Minden Hills is the county seat. Haliburton County was established in 1983, but had existed as the Provisional County of Haliburton since 1874...
. The former Highway 649 and Highway 121
Ontario Highway 121
King's Highway 121, commonly referred to as Highway 121, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario that was transferred to the counties in which it lay on January 1, 1998 and in 2003...
were eventually assigned along the majority of the southern half of this road. From Minden north to Highway 118 the road is a paved township road. Between Ox Narrows and Dorset, Highway 35 generally follows the original survey line.
Buckhorn Road
Cameron Road
The Cameron Road travelled north from RosedaleRosedale, Ontario
Rosedale is an unincorporated village located in the city of Kawartha Lakes, partially in Fenelon Township and Somerville Township, Canada. It is home to Lock 35 of the Trent-Severn Waterway on Balsam Lake....
to Minden
Minden, Ontario
Minden Hills is a township in, and the county seat of Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the geographical townships of Snowdon, Lutterworth, Anson, Hindon and Minden. It is usually referred to as Minden, after its largest community. Minden Hills had a permanent population...
and is now the route of Highway 35.
Great North Road
The Great North Road connected the Parry Sound Road in Parry SoundParry Sound, Ontario
Parry Sound is a town in Central Ontario, Canada, located on Parry Sound on the eastern shore of Georgian Bay. Parry Sound is located south of Sudbury and north of Toronto. It is the seat of Parry Sound District, a popular cottage country region for Southern Ontario residents. It is also the...
with the Nipissing Road in Commanda. Today, Highway 124 largely follows the old road.
Hastings Road
The Hastings Road was surveyed and built to the northern boundary of Hastings county, north of the hamlet of Lake St. Peter. It was continued north into the District of Nipissing under the name of "the north road" and at one time could be driven to an intersection with the current Highway 60 between Whitney and Madawaska. At one time it intersected with the Snow, Monck and Peterson roads.Lavant Road
Mississippi Road
The Mississippi Road began at a junction with Frontenac Road and Snow Road in the village of PlevnaPlevna, Ontario
Plevna is a village in eastern Ontario, Canada, part of North Frontenac Township. It is located approximately southwest of Ottawa, and is situated in prime cottage country with many lakes surrounding it...
and travelled northwest, bisecting the Addington Road near Denbigh. It ended at the Hastings Road in Bancroft
Bancroft, Ontario
Bancroft is a town located on the York River in Hastings County in the Canadian province of Ontario.- History :In 1853 the first pioneer family settled in the area, and over the next 15 years the settlement grew quickly, as another 88 families followed...
, where the Monck Road continued west. Today, Brule Lake Road and Buckshot Lake Road (Lennox and Addington County Road 30) follow a majority of the southwest portion of the road. Between Denbigh and Bancroft, Highway 28 travels adjacent to the old road, which has generally been consumed by the forest.
Monck Road
The Monck Road was surveyed from 1864 to 1865, construction began the next year and completed seven years later in 1873. It was named in honour of Charles Stanley Monck, who was Governor General of CanadaGovernor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
at that time.
An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected by the province to commemorate the role of the Monck Road in Ontario's heritage.
Muskoka Road
The Muskoka Road, most of which now forms Highway 11, was constructed in the late 1850s and early 1860s, quickly becoming the primary trunk road to Lake NipissingLake Nipissing
Lake Nipissing is a lake in the Canadian province of Ontario. It has a surface area of , a mean elevation of above sea level, and is located between the Ottawa River and Georgian Bay. Excluding the Great Lakes, Lake Nipissing is the fifth-largest lake in Ontario. It is relatively shallow for a...
. A series of towns eventually would flourish along its length, but the first of these was Bracebridge
Bracebridge, Ontario
Bracebridge is a town and the seat of the Muskoka District Municipality of Ontario, Canada.The town was built around a waterfall on the Muskoka River in the centre of town, and is known for its other nearby waterfalls . It was first incorporated in 1875...
. East of Muskoka Falls, Thomas J. McMurray established a 400 acres (1,618,744 m²) townsite in the spring of 1861 at the intersection of the Muskoka Road and Peterson Road.
Construction on the Muskoka Road began in 1858. At the time of Bracebridge's founding, the road did not extend beyond the Muskoka River. It was opened as far as Sundridge
Sundridge, Ontario
Sundridge is a village in central Ontario, Canada, approximately 75 km south of North Bay, Ontario along Highway 11, on the shore of Lake Bernard. Sundridge is a tourist destination in both winter and summer, with boating and snowmobiling providing the main attraction. Algonquin Provincial Park is...
by 1875. Today Highway 11 follows a majority of the route, but bypasses it in several locations, notably between Bracebridge and Huntsville
Huntsville, Ontario
Huntsville is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located north of Toronto and south of North Bay....
.
Nipissing Road
| Nipissing Road, Nipissing Road North, Old Nipissing Road, Rye Road| Highway 510
Highway 510 (Ontario)
Secondary Highway 510, commonly referred to as Highway 510, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The highway is in length, connecting Highway 520 in Magnetawan with Highway 124.- Route description :...
| Highway 518
Highway 518 (Ontario)
Secondary Highway 518, commonly referred to as Highway 518, is a provincially maintained secondary highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Highway 518 spans between Parry Sound and Kearney. It serves as one of the many links between Highway 400 and Highway 11...
near Seguin Falls
Seguin Falls, Ontario
Seguin Falls is a ghost town and unincorporated place on the Nipissing Colonization Road in the township of Seguin, Parry Sound District in northeastern Ontario, Canada.-History:...
(ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
). Technically, it extends south as the Nipissing Trail down to Highway 141
Highway 141 (Ontario)
King's Highway 141, commonly known as Highway 141, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its western terminus is at Highway 400 south of Horseshoe Lake in Seguin Township while its eastern terminus is at Highway 11 near Port Sydney...
near Rosseau
Rosseau, Ontario
Rosseau is a community in the District of Parry Sound in Ontario, Canada, located in the township of Seguin. It is situated on the north shore of Lake Rosseau, a popular vacationing area. It is one of the ends of the Rosseau-Nipissing Road, which stretches all the way up to Lake Nipissing, near...
| Highway 522
Highway 522 (Ontario)
Secondary Highway 522, commonly referred to as Highway 522, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The highway is in length, connecting Highway 69 near Cranberry with Highway 11 in Powassan. Highway 522 serves as the only link between these two routes south of...
in Commanda
| Rosseau
Rosseau, Ontario
Rosseau is a community in the District of Parry Sound in Ontario, Canada, located in the township of Seguin. It is situated on the north shore of Lake Rosseau, a popular vacationing area. It is one of the ends of the Rosseau-Nipissing Road, which stretches all the way up to Lake Nipissing, near...
Ottawa and Opeongo Road
The Ottawa and Opeongo Road was one of the initial colonization roads surveyed by William Bell in 1847. It was constructed westward from RenfrewRenfrew, Ontario
Renfrew, Ontario, Canada, is a town on the Bonnechere River in Renfrew County. Located one hour west of Ottawa in Eastern Ontario, Renfrew is the third largest town in the county after Petawawa and Pembroke. The town is a small transportation hub connecting Ontario Highway 60 and Highway 132 with...
beginning in 1854, reaching as far as the Hastings Road in Whitney by 1865; thereafter the survey line continued to Opeongo Lake
Opeongo Lake
Opeongo Lake is a lake in the Ottawa River drainage basin in the geographic townships of Bower, Dickson, Preston and Sproule in the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the largest lake in Algonquin Provincial Park and the source of the Opeongo...
. Today, Highway 60 follows the old road between Algonquin Park and east of Barry's Bay. At that point, the road branches out to the southeast, following portions of Renfrew County Road 66, 512 and 64. Approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) west of Dacre, it encounters Highway 41. From there to Renfrew, Highway 132 follows the old road.
Parry Sound
| Horseshoe Lake Road, Highway 141Highway 141 (Ontario)
King's Highway 141, commonly known as Highway 141, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its western terminus is at Highway 400 south of Horseshoe Lake in Seguin Township while its eastern terminus is at Highway 11 near Port Sydney...
, Raymond Road, Manitoba Street
| Highway 400/Highway 69
Ontario Highway 69
King's Highway 69, commonly referred to as Highway 69, is a major north–south highway in the central area of the Canadian province of Ontario, linking Highway 400 north of Parry Sound with Sudbury...
, Highway 141
Highway 141 (Ontario)
King's Highway 141, commonly known as Highway 141, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its western terminus is at Highway 400 south of Horseshoe Lake in Seguin Township while its eastern terminus is at Highway 11 near Port Sydney...
, Muskoka District
Muskoka District Municipality, Ontario
The District Municipality of Muskoka, more generally referred to as the District of Muskoka, or simply Muskoka, is a Regional Municipality located in Central Ontario, Canada. Muskoka extends from Georgian Bay in the west, to the northern tip of Lake Couchiching in the south, to the western border...
Road 35, Muskoka District Road 4
| Parry Sound
Parry Sound, Ontario
Parry Sound is a town in Central Ontario, Canada, located on Parry Sound on the eastern shore of Georgian Bay. Parry Sound is located south of Sudbury and north of Toronto. It is the seat of Parry Sound District, a popular cottage country region for Southern Ontario residents. It is also the...
| Bracebridge
Bracebridge, Ontario
Bracebridge is a town and the seat of the Muskoka District Municipality of Ontario, Canada.The town was built around a waterfall on the Muskoka River in the centre of town, and is known for its other nearby waterfalls . It was first incorporated in 1875...
| Parry Sound
Parry Sound, Ontario
Parry Sound is a town in Central Ontario, Canada, located on Parry Sound on the eastern shore of Georgian Bay. Parry Sound is located south of Sudbury and north of Toronto. It is the seat of Parry Sound District, a popular cottage country region for Southern Ontario residents. It is also the...
Horseshoe Lake
Rosseau
Rosseau, Ontario
Rosseau is a community in the District of Parry Sound in Ontario, Canada, located in the township of Seguin. It is situated on the north shore of Lake Rosseau, a popular vacationing area. It is one of the ends of the Rosseau-Nipissing Road, which stretches all the way up to Lake Nipissing, near...
Bracebridge
Bracebridge, Ontario
Bracebridge is a town and the seat of the Muskoka District Municipality of Ontario, Canada.The town was built around a waterfall on the Muskoka River in the centre of town, and is known for its other nearby waterfalls . It was first incorporated in 1875...
Pembroke and Mattawan Road
Peterson Road
The Peterson Road began in BracebridgeBracebridge, Ontario
Bracebridge is a town and the seat of the Muskoka District Municipality of Ontario, Canada.The town was built around a waterfall on the Muskoka River in the centre of town, and is known for its other nearby waterfalls . It was first incorporated in 1875...
and travelled east to Maynooth
Maynooth
Maynooth is a town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to a branch of the National University of Ireland, a Papal University and Ireland's main Roman Catholic seminary, St. Patrick's College...
, where it met the Hastings Road. From Maynooth, its snaked its way northeast to Barry's Bay on the Opeongo Line.
Today, the section from Bracebridge to Maynooth has mostly been consumed by the forest, though Highway 118 follows adjacent to the old road as far as Haliburton. A small section remains as a local township road, east of Carnarvon
Carnarvon
Carnarvon and Caernarvon are older forms of the name of the town in North Wales currently known as Caernarfon. The older names, in place for centuries, were anglicised phonetic spellings; since the 1970s the Welsh spelling has been generally adopted...
, named Tulip Road. Between Haliburton and Kennaway, on the shores of Elephant Lake, the old road is untraceable. East of Kenneway, the road is locally maintained but accessible. Between Maynooth and Barry's Bay, former Highway 62 follows the old road.
Snow Road
The Snow Road is a short minor branch of the colonization road network that connected the northern end of agricultural settlement in Maberly with the southeastern end of the Mississippi Road in PlevnaPlevna, Ontario
Plevna is a village in eastern Ontario, Canada, part of North Frontenac Township. It is located approximately southwest of Ottawa, and is situated in prime cottage country with many lakes surrounding it...
. The Lavant Road branches off to the east at approximately the midpoint of the road. Today, County Road 36 follows the Snow Road through Lanark County
Lanark County, Ontario
Lanark County is a county located in the Canadian province of Ontario. As of 2006, the population is 63,785. Its county seat is Perth.The county took its name from the town of Lanark in Scotland.-Geography:...
, while the former Highway 509 follows the portion lying within Frontenac County.
Victoria Road
Victoria Road is one of several colonization roads in southern Ontario built in 1850s to promote settlement in what was then the frontier of Ontario. The road continued north of its current terminus in Uphill into what is now the Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial ParkQueen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park
The Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park is a provincial park in south-central Ontario, between Gravenhurst and Minden. The park, named for Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, is 33,505 hectares in size, making it the second largest park south of Algonquin Park , but it has a fragmented shape as...
. It then followed the Black River north-east to the Peterson Road in Vankoughnet; this part of the road fell into disuse in the late 1800s. Between 1956 and 1998, the portion of The Victoria Road between Highway 46 (Highway 48
Ontario Highway 48
King's Highway 48, also known as Highway 48, is a provincially-maintained highway in southern Ontario that extends from Major Mackenzie Drive in Markham, through Whitchurch-Stouffville, to Highway 12 south-east of Beaverton, Ontario. Prior to 1998, Highway 48 extended from Highway 401 in Toronto to...
after 1975) and Highway 503
Ontario Highway 503
Highway 503 was a provincial secondary highway in Ontario, Canada, that existed between 1956 and 1998. Between 1956 and 1963, the highway stretched from Kirkfield to Sebright, and then along the Monck Road from Sebright to Kinmount, entirely within Victoria County...
was designated as Secondary Highway 505. On January 1, 1998, the entire road south of Uphill was designated as Victoria County Road 35. Victoria County was restructured as the city Kawartha Lakes
Kawartha Lakes
The city of Kawartha Lakes is a unitary municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. Although called a city, Kawartha Lakes is the size of a typical Ontarian county and is mostly rural....
on January 1, 2001, which renamed the road as Kawartha Lakes Road 35.