 The road was built in the 1920s as a trunk road for the Department of Northern Development (later merged into the Department of Highways, today's Ministry of Transportation), but was assumed as a provincial highway in 1937, as the only King's Highway on the island.Highway 68 stretched from South Baymouth in the south, through the towns of Manitowaning and Little Current north to Espanola on the mainland.The entire route was later redesignated as an extension of Highway 6 in 1980.