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Welcome to historic-wabana.com. This website celebrates the heritage and culture of Bell Island, Newfoundland, Canada, with particular emphasis on the Wabana iron-ore mining operation. The site will be undergoing construction on an ongoing basis, with pictures and descriptions being added and edited continuously. Hover your cursor along the menu at the top to see drop-down menus.
If you are on Facebook, please join my FB Group (Historic Wabana Nfld 2.0). Here is the link to that group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1317525146263677
If you are on Facebook, please join my FB Group (Historic Wabana Nfld 2.0). Here is the link to that group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1317525146263677
About the Menu at the Top of each Page of this website:
The HOME PAGE is an introduction to the website and tells you generally what you can expect to find here. It also gives you a taste of other things I have had published.
The BLOG PAGE is a page for some of the posts seen on my Facebook Group (Historic Wabana Nfld 2.0). Among other posts, it also has recent obituaries of Bell Islanders (present and former residents).
The HISTORY PAGE has a drop-down menu of items I have written about:
1. The history of the Wabana Mines in particular. Because I have collected a lot of information about the Wabana Mines, I have placed the link to those articles at the top of the History Page. When you hover your cursor over "Mining History," you will get a drop-down menu of an array of topics related to the Wabana Mines, some with off-shoots containing more sub-topics.
2. The history of Bell Island in general. This general history list is by no means complete; I am adding to it on a continual basis.
The PUBLICATIONS PAGE is my attempt to make available articles that have been written down through the years about aspects of Bell Island's history. Some are magazine, journal or newspaper articles. Others are excerpts from books. In the drop-down menu on this page, you will find scans of the complete run of the Dominion Wabana Ore Limited magazine Submarine Miner and excerpts from DOSCO World.
The PEOPLE PAGE has a drop-down alphabetical menu containing brief biographies of people who have lived and worked on Bell Island, or who have had some notable connection to Bell Island's history. It is far from complete, of course, but is being added to on a continual basis. People are listed alphabetically by surname. (NOTE: you will find some World War II veterans under "HISTORY." Again, this is being added to as information is found.)
The EXTRAS PAGE has a drop-down menu containing entertaining stories, poems and odd bits about the life and culture of Bell Island. An off-shoot menu from "Calendar Customs" delves into how Bell Islanders celebrated on special days throughout the year.
The PHOTO GALLERY PAGE contains collections of photographs from various sources, many never before seen outside of individual family albums or archives.
The HOME PAGE is an introduction to the website and tells you generally what you can expect to find here. It also gives you a taste of other things I have had published.
The BLOG PAGE is a page for some of the posts seen on my Facebook Group (Historic Wabana Nfld 2.0). Among other posts, it also has recent obituaries of Bell Islanders (present and former residents).
The HISTORY PAGE has a drop-down menu of items I have written about:
1. The history of the Wabana Mines in particular. Because I have collected a lot of information about the Wabana Mines, I have placed the link to those articles at the top of the History Page. When you hover your cursor over "Mining History," you will get a drop-down menu of an array of topics related to the Wabana Mines, some with off-shoots containing more sub-topics.
2. The history of Bell Island in general. This general history list is by no means complete; I am adding to it on a continual basis.
The PUBLICATIONS PAGE is my attempt to make available articles that have been written down through the years about aspects of Bell Island's history. Some are magazine, journal or newspaper articles. Others are excerpts from books. In the drop-down menu on this page, you will find scans of the complete run of the Dominion Wabana Ore Limited magazine Submarine Miner and excerpts from DOSCO World.
The PEOPLE PAGE has a drop-down alphabetical menu containing brief biographies of people who have lived and worked on Bell Island, or who have had some notable connection to Bell Island's history. It is far from complete, of course, but is being added to on a continual basis. People are listed alphabetically by surname. (NOTE: you will find some World War II veterans under "HISTORY." Again, this is being added to as information is found.)
The EXTRAS PAGE has a drop-down menu containing entertaining stories, poems and odd bits about the life and culture of Bell Island. An off-shoot menu from "Calendar Customs" delves into how Bell Islanders celebrated on special days throughout the year.
The PHOTO GALLERY PAGE contains collections of photographs from various sources, many never before seen outside of individual family albums or archives.
This website is my second venture into disseminating the story of the Wabana Mines. The first was my book, The Miners of Wabana:
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The Miners of Wabana, Breakwater Books, 2006, is still available in paperback and can be purchased at the Bell Island Community Museum gift shop and at Amazon.ca.
The Miners of Wabana, by Gail (Hussey) Weir, describes in vivid detail the working lives of the Wabana miners as told in their own words. Their stories reveal their individual histories, challenges, resourcefulness, hopes, fears, superstitions, camaraderie and wonderful sense of humour. This book explores the conditions in the mines, the inevitable tragedies, what it was like working with the mine horses and alongside the ever-present rats. There are tales of heroes, ghosts and fairies. It also tells the history of the mines and the companies that ran them, the workers' unions, strikes, ferry and ore-boat sinkings in the Tickle, the eventual shut down of the mines, and the effect on the people of Bell Island. This 2006 edition is an update of the original 1989 edition. It features a summary of many of the literary and artistic works that have been produced since the mines closed in 1966, including the Murals Project of the 1990s, with details and photographs of each mural. As well, it highlights the monuments to the Island's history, including the Bell Island Community Museum and No. 2 Mine Tour. |
This website was launched in June 2016 and began with a concentration on Company housing. The book Company Houses, Company Towns: Heritage and Conservation was published by Cape Breton University Press that year. I had written Chapter 3 of that book (see the description below), and the housing section of this website is intended to complement that chapter. Gail Hussey-Weir
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Company Houses, Company Towns: Heritage and Conservation is now available from Cape Breton University Press and Amazon.ca. The Kindle edition is available for download from Amazon.ca.
Chapter 3, "Company Housing at Wabana Iron-Ore Mines, Bell Island, Newfoundland," is a history of the housing built by the Scotia and Dominion companies for their staff and miners, and the streets and neighbourhoods where they were built. It also tells the stories of some of the people who lived in those houses. The top photo on the book's cover is of two Dominion houses that were located at Dominion No. 1, Bell Island. |