Silver Fox Island facts for kids

Silver Fox Island is a small island located on the northwest side of Bonavista Bay in Newfoundland. It sits right at the mouth of the Indian Bay inlet. This island is about 3 kilometers long and is also about 3 kilometers away from Fair Island. Silver Fox Island was once a busy home for people, with the first settlers arriving at a place called Warren's Harbour on the island's southern side.

Island History

A house from Silver Fox Island being moved to Dover in 1961 as part of the resettlement program.

The first part of Silver Fox Island to be settled was Warren's Harbour. It was named after an early settler, John Warren, who lived in Salvage, Newfoundland, back in 1675. Records from 1836 show that Warren's Harbour had a population of eight people, all from the same family. By 1869, five different families lived there: the Buttons, Felthams, Hunts, Matthews', and Rogers' families. The population slowly grew, reaching 49 people in 1884 and 82 people by 1901.

Life on Silver Fox Island was challenging because it wasn't close to the main fishing areas. So, the people living there depended a lot on fishing in Labrador and working in the woods in Indian Bay during the winter months.

By the mid-1950s, many families started to move away from the island. They went to nearby communities like Indian Bay and Wareham. By 1969, everyone had left, and the island became completely empty.

However, in the 1980s, some of the descendants of the original islanders started coming back. They built seasonal "cabins" on the island. Today, there are about two dozen cabins on Silver Fox Island. People use these cabins during the spring and summer each year. A few of the original buildings are still standing, including a cabin and a fishing stage that belonged to the Matthews family.

School Days

The first school and chapel on Silver Fox Island were built between 1895 and 1896. Later, a new school was built in 1926. Many teachers helped educate the children on the island. Some of these teachers included James Rogers, Jesse Oakley from Greenspond, Stephen Hall from Pinchard's Island, and Beatrice Feltham, who was from Silver Fox Island herself. Other teachers were Saul Maher from Greenspond (1956-1960) and Arthur Feltham from Silver Fox Island.

Fishing Boats and Skippers

Fishing was a very important part of life on Silver Fox Island. Many boats and their skippers were well-known.

Famous Fishing Boats

• Silver Steamer
• Silver Jubilee, led by skipper Adam Matthews
• Emma, built right on the island by John Hann from Wesleyville in 1883
• Freddy II, led by skipper William Wicks from Silver Fox Island
• Polly B, first led by William Wicks, then Samuel Matthews, and later Samuel Wicks
• Mildred M. Bill and Margaret K, both led by skipper William Wicks
• Freddy M, led by skipper Charles Feltham
• Stewart S, led by skipper David Button
• Green Leaf, led by skipper Samuel Hunt
• Merry Go, built and owned by Joseph Matthews on Silver Fox Island

Feltham Family Ships

The Feltham family from Silver Fox Island also skippered many ships, including:

• Mayflower
• Grace
• Self
• Foam (from 1885)
• Paddy
• Beatrice May
• Ada
• Sea Gull
• Ivanhoe
• Henerita Dawton
• Lady Bird
• Mabel
• Clara Hallett

Island Census Information

The census records give us a peek into how Silver Fox Island grew over the years.

Island Directory

Lovell's Directory from 1871 described Silver Fox Island as an island on the north side of Bonavista Bay. It was about 6 miles by boat from Greenspond and had a population of 45 people at that time. The directory listed some of the residents:

• Thomas Button, Fisherman
• Samuel Feltham, Planter (meaning a settler or landowner)
• Jacob Hunt, Fisherman
• John Matthews, Fisherman
• William Rogers, Fisherman
• Iain Logan, Quantity Surveyor (someone who estimates costs for building projects)