BELL ISLAND:

Located off the northern portion of the Avalon Peninsula, in Conception Bay, Bell Island (formerly Great Bell Island) is 9.7 km in length and 3.5 km at its maximum width, giving it an area of approximately 34 km2 (13.1 mi).

Off the tip of Bell Island there are a couple of sea stacks: one is called "Bell Rock" (which give the island its name), the other is (appropriately) "The Clapper".

Access to the island is made by a daily ferry that goes over from Portugal Cove-St. Philips, which basically serves the commuters that live on the island and work in St. John's.

It is thought that the earliest residents were Maritime Archaic and/or Dorset people and that at a later time (around the time of discovery by Europeans) Beothuk natives were living there.

The name of the main town on the island, Wabana, may come from the Abenaki wabunaki, "cast land" from wabun "dawn". The Abenaki are one of the Algonquian- speaking peoples of northeastern North America.

If such is the case, Wabana can be "translated" into English meaning "place where the light shines first."

Local history suggests that Wabana was named in 1895 by Colonel Thomas Cantley, then president of the Nova Scotia Steel Company at the time when the first mine opened.

At one point the mine was one of the largest producers of iron ore in the northeastern North America, however, it closed in the 1960s due to cheaper ore being found in Quebec and Labrador.

It is generally believed that the island was visited not only by European fishermen but also pirates in the early 1500s.

Freshwater was always in high demand and there are two places on the island, both with the name "Freshwater", one on the east side of the island, the other on the west (conceivably forerunners of today's "drive ins", these where "ship ins')!

The first recorded settler was a Gregory Normore (1717-1783), a native of Jersey in the Channel Islands, who in 1740 attempted to do some farming along with other settlers, some of whom were Irish.

Many made a living raising cattle, pigs and poultry as well as growing vegetable and berries which they sold in St. John's, Harbour Grace and Brigus. From the ENL website comes a bit of local history:

Bell Island was one of the only places in North America to have seen enemy action in World War II. The pier where 80,000 tons of iron ore was stored for shipping was torpedoed by German U-boats in 1942.

At low tide you can see the relics of the 4 ships that were sunk during the attack and on shore stands a memorial to the 69 men who lost their lives.

The population of Wabana was 2,146 in 2016, showing a decrease of 8.5% over 2011 when 2,346 residents were counted.

Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin of 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill

Address of this page: http://nl.ruralroutes.com/BellIsland