July 13, 2024

Alexander McNeill was born in The Corran, County Antrim, Ireland on May 10, 1842. When he was 30 he married his second cousin Hester who was recently widowed. That same year of 1872 they emigrated to Canada and settled on his brother-in laws farm in Elderslie Township. Hester and Alexander lived there until 1881 when he bought a 300 acre property just north of Wiarton. Alexander was a member of the Liberal-Conservative party and was elected to the House of Commons for the riding of Bruce North in 1882. He held this seat through the next 4 elections but his victory in the 1900 election was overturned the following year and he was never re-elected. The map below is from the 1882 county atlas and shows the McNeill property just north of Wiarton on Colpoy’s Bay.

In 1882 McNeill commissioned a mansion for himself and Hester which was designed to have 17 rooms. It was the first estate mansion to be built in Bruce County. He called the 300 acre estate and the mansion The Corran after his birthplace in Ireland. It took several years to build and Hester died in 1890 before it was complete. Alexander was left with his 16 year-old son Malcom whom he willed the estate to when he passed away.

There were three acres of gardens which included over 500 rose bushes. Alexander couldn’t maintain it and serve as an Member of Parliament in Ottawa at the same time. So, he asked an old friend Alfred Lewis to move from England with his family and become the estate manager. The historical image below shows the estate in its prime. The front entrance and steps were crossed by many famous politicians and prominent citizens over the years.

The same front steps can be seen in the image below. Lavish parties were hosted in the gardens and amongst the roses and peonies. Over 500 fruit trees were also planted on the grounds. One such party was held on July 1, 1901 when guests enjoyed violin music in the gardens.

Alfred Lewis was killed in 1931 when he was hit by a car. This was the very first hit and run accident causing a fatality to occur in the Bruce Peninsula. Alexander McNeill died on April 18, 1932 and left the property to his son Malcom, who had never married. Malcom was too generous with his newfound fortune and soon it was disappearing on him. He eventually had to sell off 20 acres of the estate to pay back taxes. When Malcom passed away in 1956 he left the house to his longtime housekeeper Sally Simmons. By the time the estate debts were settled, there was little money left and Sally closed up most of the house and lived in the kitchen. She sold the house to a man from Willowdale in 1960. Since he didn’t live in the house it was easy for vandals to access because of its secluded location. By 1964 the house was in bad shape with all the windows broken and most of the interior stripped away. Grey Sauble Conservation bought the property in 1971 but the break-ins continued until 1976 when the house burned down in a final act of vandalism.

Alexander ran a successful cattle breeding farm which raised Durham Shorthorns from England. The cattle barn is gone but the stone foundations remain a short distance from the house.

The estate was built with a beautiful view of Colpoy’s Bay and there are over 5 kilometres of trails that wind through the park, which has become known as Spirit Rock Conservation Area. The Bruce Trail passes through the estate as well as the Spirit Rock Trail. There are several great places to look out over the bay including the Spirit Rock Lookout. Because I was visiting the park for a short time before I had to go to a nearby inspection I didn’t have time to get to the lookout. Instead I headed for the spiral staircase where I was rewarded with the view in the image below.

The Spiral Staircase makes 3 turns and used 30 steps to bring you down the first steep section of the escarpment.

You are left with a mildly challenging section of trail that leads down to the Lake Huron shore. Fortunately, there is a handrail here. The footing was slippery on the morning that I visited and I was glad for the handrail. The mosquitos were famished and I was bitten about 30 times in 30 minutes.

The trail continues along the lakeshore but a lack of time and excess of mosquitos led me to decide to go back to the car. I previously hiked through this section of the Bruce Trail on a short vacation to the Bruce Peninsula in the early 1990s and enjoyed it then.

Spirit Rock Conservation Area has a $10 per day parking fee but the trails and history are well worth exploring.

Google Maps Link: Spirit Rock Conservation Area

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