From the deck of the Silver Islet General Store, looking over the water with a warm cinnamon roll in hand, you’d probably never guess that the small village around you has only six permanent residents—or that it’s completely off-grid. The shop and surrounding homes are run completely on solar power and generators, and everyone has an outhouse instead of indoor plumbing. During summer, the tiny community swells to 200 people.
All of Silver Islet’s permanent residents are descendants of the silver miners who built the town. The Silver Islet Mining Company opened in 1870, with shafts built down into Lake Superior to tap into the rich underwater silver deposits. At the height of its production in the late 1800s, it was one of the most profitable silver mines in the world.
Today, all that remains are some abandoned buildings on a couple small islands, and the mine shafts themselves, flooded by Lake Superior. Tour companies ferry visitors over to the shafts to look down into the depths and imagine what the miners endured. No diving, though; it’s too dangerous.
A little farther afield, you’ll find an overgrown cemetery with aging headstones of long-lost miners and their families. Local children are challenged to stay there overnight to see if the ghosts of old silver hunters will come out and scare them back home. Rather than make the same attempt, try spending the night in Porphyry Island Lighthouse, just a 30-minute boat ride away, where you can live the life of an 1800s lighthouse keeper.
During the day, hike through Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. Or pedal down the local trails on a bike, which many of the rental cottages provide for guests. In nearby Thunder Bay, you can rent kayaks and go on excursions around the islet, past more islands, lighthouses, and sleepy coves.
— Jennifer Billock
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Get ready for an adventure! Delta Airlines and Atlas Obscura will soon unveil the top 24 destinations for 2024. Stay tuned!
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