"Memphremagog" comes from the Abenaki word mamhlawbagak, which means "large expanse of water" or "vast lake.

They called it The Outlet, referring to the flow of water emptying into the Magog River from the lake.

[citation needed] Ralph Merry, who is considered the founding father of Magog, was an American Revolutionary who immigrated to Lower Canada in 1799 and settled in Bolton, to the west of the lake.

He bought up all the neighbouring lots, including The Outlet village, where he went on to act as its mayor, judge, and developer.

It was only in the 1960s and the 1970s that the city's economy would achieve desperately needed diversification through tourism, services, and the development of an industrial park.