Long Harbour-Mount Arlington Heights

Located on the northwest shoreline in eastern Placentia'' Bay, Long Harbour was believed to be settled, according to the material cited in the ENL, as early as 1810 by a few families who moved to the mainland from the nearby Iona Island. The area of the harbour closest to the mouth of the harbour was referred to by the townsfolk as the "cove" and the more easterly portion as the "bottom". In 1940s the cove''s name was changed to Mount Arlington Heights. In 1986 the two towns were incorporated to form Long Harbour-Mount Arlington Heights, and at that time the total population of slightly more than 600 residents. Inshore cod, salmon and herring fishing were the main interests of the community from its conception and continued until the construction of the base at Argentia offered employment in the 1940s. Subsequently the construction of a phosphorus plant, in the late 1960s. Unfortunately, the mining of phosphorus was doomed almost from the get-go: Although it brought up to $3 million a year into the community, the plant, plagued from the start by many technical and pollution problems, operated at only about half capacity throughout its existence. The threat to the environment first became apparent in mid-December of 1968 with the "Red Herring Scare," in which fish exposed to a phosphorus effluent suffered internal bleeding and washed up dead on beaches throughout Placentia Bay. The discovery of a moose and two rabbits deformed by excess bone fluoride, and the death of vegetation within a two-mile radius of the community, also raised concern. The Department of Health advised people not to grow vegetables or pick berries in the area. Measures introduced by [the plant] brought pollution down to acceptable levels. But new technology for producing phosphorus chemicals and a declining world market contributed to the plant''s closure in the summer of 1989, putting approximately 300 people in Long Harbour-Mount Arlington Heights and surrounding areas out of work.

From the town''s website, the future of the community is looking good: The Town of Long Harbour Mount Arlington Heights has distinguished itself as a resilient, proud, and determined community. Residents of this place have always stood-up and stood-out. This is a community that achieves its goals, often against tremendous odds. Our community has a history of being builders, and doers, gifted with skills and determination. Ours is a proud community with a very bright future.

Being the home of the new Vale nickel processing plant is and accomplishment that our town is proud of. This achievement represents years of perseverance and vision that has breathed new life into our community and region''s economy. When in operation, this highly technical, leading edge, nickel processing plant will be a global leader directly employing approximately 500 people within the plant''s operations, and hundreds of jobs in plant support positions. Procurement expenditures to support plant operations are estimated at $125 - $150 million annually throughout the life of the project, unadjusted for inflation.

An update from the Yale Website: The Long Harbour Processing Plant (LHPP) began operations in 2014 and currently employs approximately 500 people, the vast majority of whom are from Newfoundland and Labrador. The LHPP and the Voisey''s Bay mine and concentrator are an integrated operation. Nickel concentrate from Voisey''s Bay are shipped to Long Harbour to be processed into finished nickel and associated copper and cobalt products.

The population in the town in 2016 was 250, a 16.1% decrease from the 298 of five years before, however, as stated above that is expected to change.

Middle Arm: Located on the northern shore of Green Bay on the cast side of the Baie Verte Peninsula, according sources cited in the ENL, the community of Middle Arm was first recorded in the 1874 Census with one family of eight. On the Peninsula, there are several "arms" but on the Traveller''s Map, the "go-to" map for all tourists, the names of the arms are not included but one must assume the town is on the middle one. Fishing and logging have been the mainstays of the community. In 2016 there were 474 residents, a very slight (0.4%) decrease from the 476 recorded five years previously.

Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin 0f 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill

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