Prospect Lake Airport

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.