We camped about 40 minutes east of town at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. This park was also on a large clear lake – about 10 times bigger than Penn Lake. We launched our inflatable kayak here. There were people canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding and fishing. But the lake is so big, you didn’t see or hear much but the peaceful surface of the water and the beauty of the surrounding forests and hills. Charlie loved playing fetch in the lake.

Just outside the Park there is a little neighborhood called “Silver Islet” in a bay on the shore of Lake Superior. We went to the general store for the ice cream and we received a free oral history of the Silver Mine that was once the richest mine in North America. The store is in the original, restored structure that housed the company store that served miners and their families since 1870.

An American bought the mineral rights from Canada in the 19th century. While surveying the claim in 1868, the surveyor rowed out in the bay to sink a survey marker on a boulder protruding above the water. He discovered a vein of nearly pure silver in the rock! 

They built a wooden bulkhead in a large perimeter around the rock, filled it with crushed rock and installed coal-fired pumps to keep the lake out. Thus the island was expanded to 10 times its original size. It was big enough to hold a half-dozen small structures. 

They mine ultimately reached a quarter-mile in depth. In its 16-year history, ending in 1884, the mine produced more than $3.25M worth of silver. As the mine petered out, the lake reclaimed the islet. Today, you can paddle over the top of the elevator shaft, covered by four feet of water.

We also did a moderate 2 km hike to an overlook of a rock arch called “Sea Lion Rock”. It was a nice walk through the forest. People on the trail, including our campground neighbors, were so friendly, it took us longer to visit with people than to complete the hike itself.