Hogg Bay

 park, bay, place with historical importance

This quiet bay off of Big Rideau Lake has sometimes been called the heartbeat of Murphy’s Point Provincial Park. Around the shoreline of Hogg Bay one can find not only gorgeous scenery, but numerous examples of the cultural history the park interprets to visitors. This history tells the story of the park, but is also a microcosm of settlement in Lanark County. The site of the restored McParlan House homestead was settled around 1812 beside Black Creek; a creek which flows into Hogg Bay.

The ruins of the adjacent Burgess Mill can still be seen. It was one of the earliest sawmills on Big Rideau Lake and was a crucial supplier of lumber to settlers. The area was logged and farmed for decades. Ore from the nearby Silver Queen Mica Mine was brought to loading docks on the bay and shipped by barge along the Rideau Canal to more distant markets. Eventually the bay became a recreational paradise, first for cottagers and now for park visitors, and the McParlan House/Burgess Mill site is currently the location of a public archaeology program.