Saskatchewan Provincial Highway 39 paralleled the headwaters of the Souris River as well as the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) along the south eastern portion of its route. The highway traverses a course on a diagonal from south east to north west. The road followed the early surveyed road allowances made by the "Provincial Highway 39", the precursor of the Saskatchewan Highway 39 followed the surveyed grade of the CPR or "Soo Line" between the United States border and east of Moose Jaw. Travel along Provincial Highway 39 before the 1940s would have been traveling on the "square" following the township road allowances, barbed wire fencing and rail lines. As the surveyed township roads were the easiest to travel, the first highway was designed on 90 degree right angle corners as the distance traversed the prairie along range roads and township roads.