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By the time the last mine closed on Bell Island, Newfoundland and Labrador in 1966, 79 million tons of iron ore had been extracted and sold worldwide over the industry’s 71-year history.
The first mine on Bell Island was a surface mine, going underground and breaking out at the sea’s shoreline. But in 1902 the first of four submarine mines was built, extending out for miles under the sea floor. Mining continued at Number Two right up until 1949.
Eventually Bell Island claimed six mines: Numbers One and Five were surface mines; Numbers Two, Three, Four and Six went submarine.
Roughly four billion tons of ore are left in the mines, but the industry shut down because the cost of getting the ore from the mines to the market was too high.
The history of mining on Bell Island is one of constant change: the population grew from a few hundred to 14,000; companies moved in and out; the technology of production was upgraded.
This Community Stories exhibit highlights those changes over 100 years of mining on Bell Island.
