The mining community had its own shop (opened in 1829), school (built in 1829), and church (consecrated in 1837). The workers lived in log houses owned by the company, usually housing one family. Kvens were housed separately at Kreta () at the outflow of the Mathis River into the fjord, where the Kven children also had their own school for a few years. A bridge was built across the Inner Strait (Innerstrømmen) in 1836 so that the Kven would not have to rely on a boat to get to work.
