Silver Islet Mine was founded in 1870 at the tip of the Sibley Peninsula, an area that now belongs to the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. The silver deposit at Silver Islet was first discovered in 1868 by the Montreal Mining Company. In 1870, Alexander H. Sibley's Silver Islet Mining Company acquired the mine. The mine was built deep below the waterline, which proved challenging logistically; they used pumps and breakwaters against the rough waters of Lake Superior.

Originally, the Islet measured 50 square meters, although it grew 10 times its size with housing for miners. By 1884, a problem occurred with a coal shipment that fueled the pumps and breakwaters; it resulted in the mine flooding. In the 1910s and the 1970s, companies attempted to reopen Silver Islet Mine, yet they were unsuccessful. Today, the mining town is a small community that serves cottagers and tourists.

Sources

• Lakehead University Archive. Silver Islet Collection. https://archives.lakeheadu.ca/index.php/silver-islet-collection
• Wikipedia. Silver Islet. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Islet

Dr. Melville (Mel) William Bartley was a geologist in Northwestern Ontario. His contribution to the development of the mining sector within the region was very influential. He graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1934, as well as obtaining the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Toronto in 1940. He was the founding Principal of Lakehead University Technical Institute, and was the first chair of the Lakehead University Board of Governors from 1965 to 1969.