Bell Island (Newfoundland and Labrador) facts for kids
Aerial view of Bell Island
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 Bell Island
Location in Newfoundland
Location of Bell Island in Newfoundland
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| Geography | |||||||||
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| Location | Conception Bay, Newfoundland | ||||||||
| Coordinates | 47°37′58″N 52°57′57″W / 47.63278°N 52.96583°W | ||||||||
| Area | 34 km2 (13 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Highest elevation | 120 m (390 ft) | ||||||||
| Highest point | Round Juniper Marsh | ||||||||
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Canada
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| Province | Newfoundland and Labrador | ||||||||
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Bell Island is a small island in Conception Bay, off the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It's about 9.7 kilometers (6 miles) long and 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) wide. The island covers an area of 34 square kilometers (13 square miles).
The ground on Bell Island is made of old rock like sandstone and shale. These rocks contain red hematite, which is a type of iron ore. Bell Island was once famous for its big iron ore mines.
Today, three communities call Bell Island home. The largest town is Wabana. The government runs a daily ferry service from Portugal Cove–St. Philip's to Bell Island. Many people use this ferry to travel to work in the St. John's metropolitan area.
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Bell Island's Past
Bell Island was likely first settled by ancient people like the Maritime Archaic and Dorset cultures. Later, the Beothuk Nation probably lived here when Europeans first arrived.
The first European settlers came in the 1700s. They tried to farm and fish to support themselves. For most of the 1800s, people on the island mostly grew or caught their own food. Gregory Normore, an Englishman, was the first recorded settler in 1740.
The island's economy changed a lot in the 1890s. This is when iron ore mining started near the community of Wabana.
Wabana grew into the island's biggest community. The mine became one of the largest iron ore producers in northeastern North America. The mine tunnels even went deep under the seabed of Conception Bay. This made it one of the largest underwater iron mines in the world.
Most of Bell Island's iron ore was sent to Sydney, Nova Scotia. There, it was smelted (melted down) in a steel mill. The steel mill in Sydney and the iron mine on Bell Island were owned by the Dominion Steel and Coal Company (DOSCO). At one point, DOSCO was one of Canada's biggest private employers.
Bell Island in World War II
During the Second World War, Bell Island played an important role. Two large guns were placed on the island for defense. You can still see these guns on their mounts today.
German U-boats (submarines) attacked the ships carrying iron ore. These attacks happened on September 5 and November 2, 1942. Two different U-boats, U-513 and U-518, were involved. Four ships were sunk, and 70 sailors lost their lives.
The ships sunk were the SS Saganaga, SS Lord Strathcona, SS P.L.M 27, and SS Rose Castle. One German torpedo even hit the iron ore loading dock on shore by mistake. A memorial stands at Lance Cove, overlooking the water where the shipwrecks lie. Bell Island was one of the very few places in North America attacked by enemy forces during the war. It was the only place in North America to be directly hit by German forces.
Mine Closure and Island Changes
Operating the Bell Island iron ore mine was very expensive because it was underground. In the 1950s, huge surface iron ore deposits were found in Quebec and Labrador. After a railway was built to these new mines, Bell Island's iron ore became too costly to compete.
In the early 1960s, the steel and coal industries in Cape Breton Island also began to struggle. The steel mill in Sydney and nearby coal mines were set to close. At the same time, iron ore mining at Wabana stopped in 1966.
The shutdown hit Bell Island's economy very hard. Many residents moved away to find work. Some went to the growing city of St. John's. In recent years, some people have started moving back to Bell Island. They commute by ferry (about 20 minutes) to Portugal Cove – St. Philip's and then travel to work in the city.
The beautiful waters of Conception Bay are also becoming popular for pleasure boating. This is happening as the communities around Conception Bay South grow.
In 2015, some people worried about the abandoned mine tunnels collapsing. A retired miner, Peter Young, warned that a collapse could cause a local earthquake. He also thought it might lower the water level in Conception Bay, possibly causing a tsunami.
The Bell Island Boom
On April 2, 1978, a very loud explosion shook Bell Island. It damaged some houses and electrical wiring in the area. Two cup-shaped holes, about two feet deep and three feet wide, marked the main impact spot. Several TV sets in Lance Cove exploded when the blast happened.
At first, people thought it was caused by ball lightning. However, weather experts said the conditions were not right for lightning. The boom was heard 55 kilometers (34 miles) away in Cape Broyle. The impact happened in the Bickfordville area, on the island's southwestern side.
Experts from Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in New Mexico investigated the event. They were looking into a "superbolt" – an unusually large and long-lasting lightning strike.
A TV show on the History Channel explored other ideas. It suggested the incident might have been a secret experiment with high-energy beams. The theory was that these beams were focused into the atmosphere and attracted by the iron in the abandoned mines. However, this idea has been dismissed by some experts. They explain that natural iron ore does not create a strong enough magnetic field to attract such beams.
On April 23, 2019, hundreds of people on Bell Island heard another "loud bang." This was followed by shaking felt up to ten miles away in Harbour Grace. It was quickly discovered that a huge section of rock had broken off the northern part of the island. It hit the ground and sea with great force. Large cracks had been seen in that area for years before the collapse. This event has made some people rethink the causes of the original "Bell Island Boom."
Bell Island Mine Exploration
Steve Lewis, an experienced cave diver and wreck diver, led a team in 2006. They took photos and studied the Bell Island mine. Their goal was to check its condition, safety, and if it could be used for future research.
Sadly, on February 4, 2007, team member Joseph T. Steffen died during a dive into the mine. Despite this loss, the project continued. The team managed to lay about two kilometers (1.2 miles) of line and document many items left in the mine. Their report also gave important information to the Bell Island Heritage Society about the artifacts left behind when mining stopped in 1966.
Radio Bell Island
On November 5, 2012, CJBI-FM (Radio Bell Island) received approval. This allowed them to operate a new low-power community FM radio station on Bell Island.
Images for kids
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Bell Island iron ore pier, around 1900
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A Canadian Forces Labrador helicopter landing on "The Clapper" in 1987.
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1942 U-Boat attack memorial
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The MV Flanders, one of two ferries servicing Bell Island
