Argentite, Port Cobalt & Mill Creek Settlement

Introduction

Argentite began around 1897 with the establishment of a small sawmill. By the turn of the century, a small group of buildings had clustered around the mill.

The situation changed rapidly in 1903 with the discovery of silver in Cobalt. By 1909 the railway had pushed through and built a small flag station at the small mill settlement, known for a while as Port Cobalt.

In 1907 a settler named Harry Darke, subdivided his farm into lots and named the site Argentite. The settlement grew quickly to include a school, church, general store, bakery, bottlings works, two taverns, an inn, and an assortment of other businesses, including a brothel, known as the Brady Wine Inn.

By the 1920s, a number of mines had closed and things were beginning to wind down in Cobalt. However the worst was still to come. In 1922, Argentite was the victim of a massive forest fire that destroyed many of the northern communities. By the time were under control, only the mill and a few homes remained. As for the mill, that was only a brief reprieve. It burnt to the ground the following year.

By the 1930s, Argentite was finished. Today the only traces left of this once busy community are the remanants of an old trolly bridge and the Silverland Cemetery.