Bell Island

From Freepedia

Bell Island is an island located off Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula in Conception Bay.

Measuring 9 km in length and 3 km in width, Bell Island has an area of 34 square kilometres. The soil is composed of Ordovician sandstone and shale with red hematite.

History

Likely settled by Maritime Archaic Indians and/or the Dorset people, Bell Island, as with the rest of the island of Newfoundland was likely inhabited by the Beothuk Nation at the time of European discovery.

The first European inhabitants settled during 1700s and attempted to farm and fish with the island having a subsistence economy throughout much of the 1800s. The economy expanded tremendously during the 1890s when iron ore mining began near the community of Wabana.

Wabana grew to become the island's largest community and the mine became one of the largest producers of iron ore in northeastern North America. The mine's workings extended beneath the seabed of Conception Bay, creating one of the most extensive submarine iron mines in the world.

Most of Bell Island's ore was shipped from loading facilities to Sydney, Nova Scotia where it was smelted in a steel mill. The steel mill at Sydney and the iron mine at Bell Island were owned by the Dominion Steel and Coal Company (DOSCO), which at one point was one of the largest private employers in Canada.

During the Second World War, the anchorage for bulk carriers shipping iron ore was attacked by a German U-boat in 1942. 4 ships were sunk during the attack and the loading pier was also struck by an errant torpedo. 69 merchant mariners lost their lives and a memorial on shore overlooks the waters where the wrecks can be seen at low tide. Bell Island was one of the only locations in North America to have seen enemy action during the war.

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Being an underground operation, the Bell Island iron ore mine was an extremely expensive mine to operate. During the 1950s, some of the largest surface iron ore deposits in the world were discovered in northeastern Quebec and the western part of Labrador. After the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway was built in the latter part of the decade, Bell Island iron ore became uncompetitive.

During the early 1960s, the steel and coal industries on Cape Breton Island began to falter in the face of foreign competition. In 1966 the steel mill in Sydney and nearby coal mines were slated to be closed. At the same time, iron ore mining at Wabana stopped.

Bell Island's resource-based economy was hard-hit by the shutdown, resulting in a large out-migration of residents. Some moved to the nearby growing metropolitan centre of St. John's. In recent decades a reverse move has been occurring where housing is being built on Bell Island to accommodate residents who wish to commute by ferry (20 minutes each direction) to Portugal Cove and travel to work in the city.

The scenic and sheltered waters of Conception Bay are also seeing an increase in pleasure boating activity as the suburban communities grow around nearby Conception Bay South.