Murphys Point is renowned for the Silver Queen Mine, where mica, feldspar and apatite were extracted in its heyday in the early 1900s. Well now folks who are intrigued after visiting this wonder or one of the many events of our 2012 Heritage Mica Festival can learn even more!

One of our partners, the Perth Museum/Matheson House, is developing a new permanent exhibit at the museum for this autumn that features the discoveries of Dr. James Wilson, a medical doctor from Scotland who came to Canada in 1818. He was a keen amateur geologist who made significant contributions to the Geological Survey of Canada. He recognized the local abundance of apatite (a phosphate used in fertilizer) and phlogopite (a type of mica used as an insulator) that would later result in a thriving industry – all commemorated at Murphys Point and the Silver Queen Mine and through the annual Heritage Mica Festival.

Click here to see a media release about Wilson’s contributions and related activities at the Perth Museum coming this fall. Also check out the Ontario’s Highlands Tourism Organization’s Recreational Geology Project to find out more about geological activities. And don’t forget to check the park’s weekly event schedule to get in on a guided tour of the Silver Queen! Rock on!