This Is My Town: Carp

Carp, ON.

Home of the Diefenbunker and the Carp Fair!

Population? Approx. 2000 (2012).

Like many towns and villages, that population number wasn’t always so high. In 1866, Carp was part of the Township of Huntley on the Carp River. It only had a population of 200, three stores, three hotels, and workshops.

You can also see where they got their name from–Carp River, which runs through the village.

Fun fact about the Carp River: it got ITS name because the river was overrun with a large amount of carp fish that lived in it. In the early 19th century, farmers used to throw all their dead animals in it… which attracted the carp fish.

via GIPHY

The Village of Carp as mentioned has the Carp River, and is also situated on the southern end of the Carp Hills, which is a small range of hills that have been compared to Gatineau Park with their walking trails.

Yes, the Village of Carp is probably a perfect spot. You have the rural, yet close enough to Ottawa to get the city. It was why the Diefenbunker was chosen to be built in Carp.

According to diefenbunker.ca, “the former Montgomery farm in Carp was chosen as the perfect site for a 75 foot underground bunker: it was within evacuation distance of downtown Ottawa, it was in a natural valley, and it had the ideal geological conditions for protection.” It also worked as Canadian Forces Station, and the site of some of Canada’s most top-secret communications. It gained National Historic Site Status in 1994, and is now a museum you can visit in present day.

Carp has a lot more to offer than what this blog post first stated. From cafes, to a vinyard, to the Carp Fair, “Best Little Fair in Canada”, which was established in 1863 and is held in September every year. You can find a beautiful mural in the Carp Farmer’s Market area (also the Carp fair grounds) dedicated to the Carp Fair.

Quick Facts:

•  Carp allegedly was the site of a UFO landing in 1989… it has been called “one of the most significant cases in UFO history.” Someone actually filmed the entire UFO crash and the TV show Unsolved Mysteries filmed an episode on it in 1993.
• The Carleton Masonic Lodge has been in Carp since 1925 and is decorated with original stained glass windows, and beautiful oak furniture that was from World War 1 Military Masonic Lodge in France.
• The Diefenbunker, Carp’s main attraction, was featured in the film The Sum of All Fears (2002)  which stars Ben Affleck & Morgan Freeman.

For a small village, Carp should be on your bucket list to visit whether you like history, or a quaint farmer’s market.