NoneCA 🇨🇦 Closed Airport
CA-0300
-
- ft
CA-ON
Loading...
Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 50.583332° N, -94.26667° E
Continent: NA
Type: Closed Airport
Loading weather data...
Circa 1981-1982. The airport's closure is directly linked to the shutdown of the nearby South Bay Mine, which ceased operations in 1981.
Economic. The airport was a private airstrip built and operated almost exclusively to service the South Bay Mine (a copper-zinc-silver mine operated by Selco Mining Corporation). When the mine closed in 1981 due to the depletion of its ore reserves, the airstrip's primary purpose ceased to exist, leading to its abandonment.
The site is abandoned and derelict. The location provided (50.5833, -94.2667) is in a remote area of the Kenora District, Ontario, Canada. Satellite imagery confirms the visible outline of a single gravel runway, approximately 3,500 feet (1,070 meters) in length. The runway surface is heavily overgrown with grass, shrubs, and small trees, rendering it completely unusable. There are no visible buildings, hangars, or any other airport infrastructure remaining at the site. The former airport is slowly being reclaimed by the surrounding boreal forest.
The airport's significance was logistical and regional, not national. It was a critical piece of infrastructure for the South Bay Mine's operations from approximately 1971 to 1981. It served as a private air bridge to a remote location, handling regular flights for crew changes, transporting mining executives, geologists, and engineers, and flying in urgent supplies and equipment. Operations would have consisted of private and charter flights using robust aircraft capable of landing on a remote gravel strip, such as the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, Beechcraft King Air, and other similar bush planes.
There are no known public plans or prospects for reopening the airport. A revival would be entirely dependent on the commencement of a new, large-scale industrial project, such as the development of a new mine in the immediate vicinity. While the region remains of interest for mineral exploration, there are no current, concrete projects that would necessitate the significant investment required to clear, repair, and recertify this abandoned airstrip. Therefore, the prospects for reopening are considered nonexistent at this time.
The airport was born from the need to spray the forest to control Bud Worm infestation. Due to safety requirements, the design had to accommodate a DC3 aircraft. In 1986 the Ministry of Natural Resources and Boise Cascade Canada worked together to accommodate construction. A float-plane dock, 80-person camp, and supporting infrastructure was constructed at the same time. The Prospect Lake Airport is accessible by road. The main roadway route in 1986 was to turn west at the turnoff near Ear Falls, Ontario. The area is very beautiful and accommodates fishing and the opportunity to see lots of wildlife. It was my favourite project and I remember when doing one of the initial surveys, my watch froze taking a Star Shot, to determine the Azimuth of the centreline of the Airstrip.