Conception Bay and Bell Island
We visited Bell Island on a bright and sunny day. This is the biggest island among a group of islands in Conception Bay. And, Conception Bay is off the northern coast of Avalon Peninsula and is only a short drive away from St. Johns, Newfoundland, where we live.
This interesting name for a bay, historically appears in the records since 1504, and is derived from the early Portuguese version ‘Baia da Conceicao’, meaning Bay of the Conception. It was so named presumably to commemorate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, by the Portuguese explorers who claimed the Bay as part of the then Portuguese empire. Before the arrival of the Europeans however, Newfoundland was home to Beothuk people, now extinct.
Bell island has an area of about 34 sq. km and a coastline of 27 km. It is home to about 2000 people, several of whom work in St Johns and nearby areas. A regular ferry service, between Portugal Cove near St. John’s and Bell Island is operated by the provincial government to carry passengers, pets and vehicles. It is the only way to get to Bell Island for most people. The ferry travels a stretch of waters known as the Bell Island tickle and takes about 15 -20 min each way.
The ferry ride itself was an experience with impressive views of the coastlines on either side – Portugal Cove on one side and Bell Island on the other. As we approached Bell Island the majestic coastline, which is almost entirely made of steep cliffs – some apparently towering up to 45 metres, became visible. Also the steep drive up from the terminal. The island itself is mostly flat, like a table supported by the steep rocks much above sea level. A short drive from the ferry terminal is Wabana, the most populated area in the island.
On the history of this Island.
For a small island, it has a remarkable history. Like most communities in this part of the world in ancient times, people lived primarily by fishing and farming. Later, small industries developed. But what gained this island its significance in the world is the discovery of iron ore and the major mining activities that followed.
Iron ore was discovered in this area by late 1500s but it was not until 1890s that the mining started seriously. The mine was active up until the 1960s. This mining area was named Wabana, meaning ‘the place where daylight first appears’, in the Abenaki Indian language. Literally it is the eastern most mine in North America.
What most impressed us on this island was the museum and the tour of the No.2 iron ore mine. The museum at the site of the No.2 mine exhibits mining artefacts and provides a glimpse of its history. The mine was a source of large quantities of high-quality iron ore. Once the easily accessible iron ores were exhausted, later mines ran deeper underground and for about 3 miles under the sea floor.
A guided tour through the old underground mine was an experience, that recreated the working conditions and telling stories about the lives of miners and others on the island a few hundred years ago. We could picture
activities such as miners which included children, going down the shaft in the dark with candles fixed on their caps, collecting and transporting heavy iron ore in carts drawn by the work horses that lived underground for periods of time.
The fortunes of the mine were linked to economic and military events thousands of miles away. It had several ‘foreign’ owners over time, with economic gains being their primary interest. Germany was one of its chief consumers and so WW I was a blow to the mine. Post war however, the mine recovered and thrived. And during WW II, Bell Island was one of the few places in North America to suffer a direct German attack.
Because of its prominent role in the war efforts of the Allies through supply of iron, Hitler himself ordered a direct hit on the mine. This order is an exhibit in the museum. The German U boats attacked two times and sunk four cargo boats killing 65 sailors. The loading pier was also hit.
Parts of the shipwrecks can still be seen at low tide. There is a memorial on the island dedicated to the merchant sailors.
In the more recent times, since 1990s several huge murals were painted on walls in public spaces to vividly depict scenes from years gone by.
Going around the Island
There are hiking trails that go around the island. Being so much above sea level, the views are spectacular. We tried a small section, but it was very windy and harsh. The lighthouse, an essential feature in most communities close to the ocean, can be reached through the trails and by road. It was a good spot to view the cliffs and the ocean. Whales and icebergs also apparently make their appearances in the right season. Next to the lighthouse is the Keepers Café where the lighthouse keepers once lived, a good place to have coffee and something to eat.
This island is also an archive of fossils belonging to Precambrian to Ordovician periods millions of years ago. We couldn’t reach the fossil sites. From what I could read, fossilised creatures are not very many, but there is an exceptionally large number of trace fossils. These are fossilised traces of ‘movements’ such as step, crawl, digging or vertical burrowing. Sudden diversification of burrowing animals led to what is known as the Cambrian Substrate Revolution, one of the most important events in the evolution of life.
While trying to understand this interesting phase in the history of life, I came across an informative article and the picture below, on the finds in Bell Island. This helped me to understand what happened.
Before this revolution, life in the oceans was mostly on the surface and either stationary or crawling on the surface. There was a barrier, in the form of microbial mats between the water and the sea floor below. This left the sea floor almost completely without oxygen. And so, severely restricted the life forms under the mat, to only those bacteria able to survive without oxygen. These also produced H2S, toxic to most other life.
Creatures developing vertical and other types of burrowing capabilities was therefore a revolution which helped break the mat barrier down. Oxygen penetrated deeper to make the upper layers of the sea floor habitable to a much wider range of living things. And in reducing the H2S producing ones. This process continued and the sea floor became progressively more habitable, facilitating diversification of complex life. Bell Island in Conception Bay is a unique location to study Cambrian Revolution.
We had an enjoyable day in Bell Island.
Here are some links to more information
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conception_Bay; https://heritagenl.ca/heritage-property/bell-island-no-2-mine-registered-heritage-structure