HISTORY
ROADS, STREETS & HILLS OF BELL ISLAND
by Gail Hussey-Weir
Created September 2025 / Updated January 2026
by Gail Hussey-Weir
Created September 2025 / Updated January 2026
INTRODUCTION
I will begin with a general history of the development of the roads and streets of Bell Island, with mention of the hills that are often a part of a longer road but, in the days before street signs were erected, were given their own name by the locals. This will be followed by an alphabetical listing of street names with specific historical information (where known) about each one, such as when they were first formed, origin of names, name changes, etc.
The information for this history comes from several sources, mainly Addison Bown's "Newspaper History of Bell Island," and Rev. John Hammond's The Beautiful Isles, as well as from the diaries of clergy and reports of others who visited the Island on occasion.
This is a work in progress that I first began researching in 2016 but am only now getting around to publishing on this website. It will probably take a while to complete, so please bear with me.
The information for this history comes from several sources, mainly Addison Bown's "Newspaper History of Bell Island," and Rev. John Hammond's The Beautiful Isles, as well as from the diaries of clergy and reports of others who visited the Island on occasion.
This is a work in progress that I first began researching in 2016 but am only now getting around to publishing on this website. It will probably take a while to complete, so please bear with me.
BELL ISLAND'S FIRST ROAD
The road from the top of Beach Hill to Lance Cove
The road from the top of Beach Hill to Lance Cove
Bell Island was used as a fishing station at least as early as 1675. The earliest census information we have for what was then known as "Great Bell Isle" was recorded in 1706 when there were 85 inhabitants, all of whom depended on the fishery. It is not specified if all of those inhabitants lived in the area of The Beach, or if some lived at Lance Cove. 90 years later, the 1794-95 census reported 87 inhabitants, all with different surnames from those previously recorded. By 1836, the population had jumped to 359 people living in 56 dwellings at Bell Isle and Lance Cove. It should be noted that before mining started in 1895, the only inhabited areas of Bell Island were the Front (which was usually referred to as "The Beach" and included a few family farms towards the east end) and Lance Cove, with a few families in Freshwater (west) in the late 1800s. The Front/Beach area is what was being referred to in the 1836 Census as "Bell Isle."
When the Lord Bishop of Nova Scotia, John Inglis, visited in 1827, he noted that he and his party landed at Lance Cove, where some children were to be baptised. He wrote that to get to Bell Isle Beach, “I preferred a walk of 3 miles through a very bad path that crossed several swamps and some difficult precipices. The magnificence of the cliff scenery, which is on a very grand scale, amply compensated for our toil.” This “very bad path” that connected Lance Cove and The Beach was the first road connection on Bell Island.
In 1839, a report on what was called "the Bell Isle road” noted:
“This road has been opened to the width of 12 feet from Bell Isle Beach to Lance Cove; but to make it useful to the public, it will be necessary to drain many parts, to erect several bridges thereon, and to gravel the entire line. To effect, which a further grant of $200 will be required." Road from Lance Cove, Bell Isle Beach survey of 1840. (Distance of about 3 1/2 miles.) [Presumably, the bridges that needed to be erected were for crossing over the "swamps."] The fact that this road would be referred to in a government document as "the Bell Isle Road" is an indication that it was the only road, as such, at the time.
In the 1800s, clergy often would record in their diaries and correspondence that they landed at The Beach, climbed the steep hill and walked along “the road” to Lance Cove.
When it was the only road on the Island, it was probably referred to by locals simply as "The Road." When I.C. Morris, a contributor to the St. John's Daily News, visited Bell Island on August 4, 1900, he referred to it as "the main road" connecting the Beach with Lance Cove.
When mining started in the 1890s and other roads took shape, the western section became known as "Lance Cove Road" for obvious reasons. Similarly, the eastern section was originally known as "The Front Road," as it ran along that area of the Island known as "The Front," which is a carry-over from a term used in England to describe the part of a town that faces a body of water.
After Memorial Street was constructed in 1925, it took in the eastern part of The Front Road to the top of Beach Hill, and the remainder (from the fork in the road at Memorial Street to the beginning of Lance Cove Road) became "The Old Front Road," or simply "The Old Road," which was renamed "Nish Jackman Drive" sometime in the latter part of the 20th Century to commemorate the man who was Wabana's most popular union leader in the 1940s and 50s.
The photo below is taken from Stewart's Bridge, which was at the eastern end of Lance Cove Road when the mines were still in operation. The bridge went over the Scotia ore tramway. Just after the bridge, the road forks left to Davidson Avenue, with the Company houses of Bridal Avenue seen on the left, and right to the Old Front Road. Photo courtesy of A&SC, MUN Library, Squires Collection.
For more tidbits of information about Lance Cove Road and The Old Front Road, see the alphabetical listings of roads following this essay.
When the Lord Bishop of Nova Scotia, John Inglis, visited in 1827, he noted that he and his party landed at Lance Cove, where some children were to be baptised. He wrote that to get to Bell Isle Beach, “I preferred a walk of 3 miles through a very bad path that crossed several swamps and some difficult precipices. The magnificence of the cliff scenery, which is on a very grand scale, amply compensated for our toil.” This “very bad path” that connected Lance Cove and The Beach was the first road connection on Bell Island.
In 1839, a report on what was called "the Bell Isle road” noted:
“This road has been opened to the width of 12 feet from Bell Isle Beach to Lance Cove; but to make it useful to the public, it will be necessary to drain many parts, to erect several bridges thereon, and to gravel the entire line. To effect, which a further grant of $200 will be required." Road from Lance Cove, Bell Isle Beach survey of 1840. (Distance of about 3 1/2 miles.) [Presumably, the bridges that needed to be erected were for crossing over the "swamps."] The fact that this road would be referred to in a government document as "the Bell Isle Road" is an indication that it was the only road, as such, at the time.
In the 1800s, clergy often would record in their diaries and correspondence that they landed at The Beach, climbed the steep hill and walked along “the road” to Lance Cove.
When it was the only road on the Island, it was probably referred to by locals simply as "The Road." When I.C. Morris, a contributor to the St. John's Daily News, visited Bell Island on August 4, 1900, he referred to it as "the main road" connecting the Beach with Lance Cove.
When mining started in the 1890s and other roads took shape, the western section became known as "Lance Cove Road" for obvious reasons. Similarly, the eastern section was originally known as "The Front Road," as it ran along that area of the Island known as "The Front," which is a carry-over from a term used in England to describe the part of a town that faces a body of water.
After Memorial Street was constructed in 1925, it took in the eastern part of The Front Road to the top of Beach Hill, and the remainder (from the fork in the road at Memorial Street to the beginning of Lance Cove Road) became "The Old Front Road," or simply "The Old Road," which was renamed "Nish Jackman Drive" sometime in the latter part of the 20th Century to commemorate the man who was Wabana's most popular union leader in the 1940s and 50s.
The photo below is taken from Stewart's Bridge, which was at the eastern end of Lance Cove Road when the mines were still in operation. The bridge went over the Scotia ore tramway. Just after the bridge, the road forks left to Davidson Avenue, with the Company houses of Bridal Avenue seen on the left, and right to the Old Front Road. Photo courtesy of A&SC, MUN Library, Squires Collection.
For more tidbits of information about Lance Cove Road and The Old Front Road, see the alphabetical listings of roads following this essay.
THE BEACH HILL
Of the above-mentioned 1839 report on "the Bell Isle road, John Hammond wrote, "Thus, in 1840, the first road was completed at Bell Island. But it was of little value to the people living at the Beach, because the cliff was not made passable for vehicles [i.e. horse and cart]. The footpath that rose against the cliff was still no more than 1 ½ to 3 feet wide, and was very dangerous to climb."
Hammond continued, “In 1851, a petition was signed and sent to the Government requesting a good road over the Beach Hill, followed by another in 1852. These efforts were not in vain as a road was finally built. I learned recently [he does not say his source] that the first road built over the Beach Hill was completed with the use of convict labour." (Hammond, p. 12.) This is interesting and seems to be corroborated by a story passed down through the Bickford family. In October 1941, when Henry Bickford (1865-1941) died, his obituary noted that he was a grandson of the first Henry Bickford who had settled in Bickfordville and who, in his youth, had been a soldier from the West Country of England. He later became a Warden at the Penitentiary in St. John's. The story goes that during his term as Warden, he was sent to Bell Island in charge of a detachment of prisoners to do some public work in 1851. The people at the Beach were then beginning to move up to the land they had cleared on the top of the Island, and a road of sorts was built. Under the superintendence of Henry Bickford, a retaining wall under the cliffside was built. So well was the work done that it remains today" [1941]. (Daily News, Oct. 9, 1941.)
See the alphabetical entries below for more on the history of the Beach Hill.
As an aside, the first public wharf was completed on Bell Isle Beach in 1858, with the second one completed at Lance Cove in 1871. To give an idea of what amenities looked like in those times, this is a photo looking down on The Beach and its wharf c.1896. Photo courtesy of A&SC, MUN Library, Vey Acc. 11-148.
Hammond continued, “In 1851, a petition was signed and sent to the Government requesting a good road over the Beach Hill, followed by another in 1852. These efforts were not in vain as a road was finally built. I learned recently [he does not say his source] that the first road built over the Beach Hill was completed with the use of convict labour." (Hammond, p. 12.) This is interesting and seems to be corroborated by a story passed down through the Bickford family. In October 1941, when Henry Bickford (1865-1941) died, his obituary noted that he was a grandson of the first Henry Bickford who had settled in Bickfordville and who, in his youth, had been a soldier from the West Country of England. He later became a Warden at the Penitentiary in St. John's. The story goes that during his term as Warden, he was sent to Bell Island in charge of a detachment of prisoners to do some public work in 1851. The people at the Beach were then beginning to move up to the land they had cleared on the top of the Island, and a road of sorts was built. Under the superintendence of Henry Bickford, a retaining wall under the cliffside was built. So well was the work done that it remains today" [1941]. (Daily News, Oct. 9, 1941.)
See the alphabetical entries below for more on the history of the Beach Hill.
As an aside, the first public wharf was completed on Bell Isle Beach in 1858, with the second one completed at Lance Cove in 1871. To give an idea of what amenities looked like in those times, this is a photo looking down on The Beach and its wharf c.1896. Photo courtesy of A&SC, MUN Library, Vey Acc. 11-148.
When mining began in 1895, journalists and other visitors were attracted to the Island. At that time, there were no streets or roads (as we know them today) on Bell Island, only footpaths going from homes in the areas of The Beach and Lance Cove to family farms at the top of the Island, and "the road" described above along the cliff-top between the two places. The majority of the population of 709 were farmer-fisher families of English and Irish descent, living mainly in the two natural landing spots on the south side of the Island that was otherwise a fortress of high, steep cliffs. After the first mine manager, Robert Chambers, first landed at Bell Island in 1893 to survey the potential mine site, he wrote that, “The north side of the island was heavily timbered with fir trees, and to find one’s way it was necessary to make use of a compass; the south side was dotted at intervals by primitive farms.”
Mining activity would eventually bring streets and roads, but first there was an ore-car tramway. The St. John’s Daily News reported in September 1894 that Robert Chambers and other Scotia Company officials had returned to Bell Island to begin “locating the exact landing place of a line of railway and laying plans generally.” When Company official Thomas Cantley arrived from Nova Scotia in September 1895 to give the mining operation its name, Wabana, work had already begun on the building of the pier and the tramway, and 160 miners, mostly Bell Islanders, were employed on the surface pits on the north side of the Island. That first tramway ran from the pier (which was what later became Dominion Pier, just west of The Beach) north-northwest to the Back of the Island along what is now called Steve Neary Boulevard but, during the mining years, was called (Dominion) East Track. In a Sept. 7, 1899 article in the Daily News entitled “Ramble on Bell Island,” I.C. Morris provided a sketch of the tramway and described it. It shows the tramway ending at The Back of the Island just east of where The Green eventually grew up. From the end point of the tramway, there were shown five “temporary connecting lines” fanning out east, north and west to points where the ore was being mined. “The trollies on these lines are operated by independent steam engines within small engine-houses specially constructed for the purpose.” Morris described this first tramway after a visit to the mine site where he and his young son were given the privilege of setting off some blasts of dynamite. “We wended our way in the direction of the tramway for the purpose of getting up on one of the [ore] cars to take passage to the seashore [pier]...We started toward the pier by ascending one of the loaded cars. These cars are constructed of iron and are about four feet and a half long by two feet nine inches wide. The speed at which the cars go is about the same rate of the average pedestrian. We found the run very pleasant; but requiring considerable caution. The novice is apt to forget his position and thereby endanger himself, but may not know of it until too late. We would warn the rider to be very careful as the cars sometimes stop and the reaction is similar to that of the railway when suddenly stopping. In every case he should stand either in front of or behind the car, ie. if it be a loaded car. If he should take an empty car, as is the case on the inward trip, and if he is not particular about soiling his clothing with iron dust, then he can seat himself comfortably within the car and ride along ‘monarch of all he surveys.’ We met several persons as we rode along, each of whom, like ourselves, were enjoying the novelty of the scene. Among them we noticed our good premier, Sir James Winter, also his brother and some lady friends. They had come over from Topsail having made the voyage in a skiff.”
Addison Bown, in his “Newspaper History of Bell Island,” tells us that, over the years, “Many people of all ages, both genders, and all walks of life took advantage of the ore cars to hitch a ride on the tramways” to get from The Front of the Island to the busy mining and residential area that eventually grew up at The Back. “The result was many injuries and deaths over the 50 or so years the tramways were in operation.”
Below is a drawing of the first Scotia Pier and ore car tramway on Bell Island. The drawing was done by D. Carroll and accompanied a 2-part story by Isaac C. Morris that was published in the Daily News, Sept. 7-8, 1899. The mining was all on the surface at this time and the "temporary connecting lines" at the top of the drawing brought the ore being mined to the main track from Scotia No. 1 and the other surface mining areas all along the Back of the Island. The terminus of the main track was just east of The Green. The path of this tramway is what is now known as Steve Neary Boulevard and Old Pier Road.
Mining activity would eventually bring streets and roads, but first there was an ore-car tramway. The St. John’s Daily News reported in September 1894 that Robert Chambers and other Scotia Company officials had returned to Bell Island to begin “locating the exact landing place of a line of railway and laying plans generally.” When Company official Thomas Cantley arrived from Nova Scotia in September 1895 to give the mining operation its name, Wabana, work had already begun on the building of the pier and the tramway, and 160 miners, mostly Bell Islanders, were employed on the surface pits on the north side of the Island. That first tramway ran from the pier (which was what later became Dominion Pier, just west of The Beach) north-northwest to the Back of the Island along what is now called Steve Neary Boulevard but, during the mining years, was called (Dominion) East Track. In a Sept. 7, 1899 article in the Daily News entitled “Ramble on Bell Island,” I.C. Morris provided a sketch of the tramway and described it. It shows the tramway ending at The Back of the Island just east of where The Green eventually grew up. From the end point of the tramway, there were shown five “temporary connecting lines” fanning out east, north and west to points where the ore was being mined. “The trollies on these lines are operated by independent steam engines within small engine-houses specially constructed for the purpose.” Morris described this first tramway after a visit to the mine site where he and his young son were given the privilege of setting off some blasts of dynamite. “We wended our way in the direction of the tramway for the purpose of getting up on one of the [ore] cars to take passage to the seashore [pier]...We started toward the pier by ascending one of the loaded cars. These cars are constructed of iron and are about four feet and a half long by two feet nine inches wide. The speed at which the cars go is about the same rate of the average pedestrian. We found the run very pleasant; but requiring considerable caution. The novice is apt to forget his position and thereby endanger himself, but may not know of it until too late. We would warn the rider to be very careful as the cars sometimes stop and the reaction is similar to that of the railway when suddenly stopping. In every case he should stand either in front of or behind the car, ie. if it be a loaded car. If he should take an empty car, as is the case on the inward trip, and if he is not particular about soiling his clothing with iron dust, then he can seat himself comfortably within the car and ride along ‘monarch of all he surveys.’ We met several persons as we rode along, each of whom, like ourselves, were enjoying the novelty of the scene. Among them we noticed our good premier, Sir James Winter, also his brother and some lady friends. They had come over from Topsail having made the voyage in a skiff.”
Addison Bown, in his “Newspaper History of Bell Island,” tells us that, over the years, “Many people of all ages, both genders, and all walks of life took advantage of the ore cars to hitch a ride on the tramways” to get from The Front of the Island to the busy mining and residential area that eventually grew up at The Back. “The result was many injuries and deaths over the 50 or so years the tramways were in operation.”
Below is a drawing of the first Scotia Pier and ore car tramway on Bell Island. The drawing was done by D. Carroll and accompanied a 2-part story by Isaac C. Morris that was published in the Daily News, Sept. 7-8, 1899. The mining was all on the surface at this time and the "temporary connecting lines" at the top of the drawing brought the ore being mined to the main track from Scotia No. 1 and the other surface mining areas all along the Back of the Island. The terminus of the main track was just east of The Green. The path of this tramway is what is now known as Steve Neary Boulevard and Old Pier Road.
MAIN STREET
Linking Beach Hill to The Green
Linking Beach Hill to The Green
Until the opening of Davidson Avenue in 1913, the only road connecting the Front of the Island to the busy mining and residential area at the Back was the one by way of Fancy Hill [the road now known as Main Street]. (Source: Bown, p. 31)
Like Bell Island's first road that went from the top of the Beach Hill to Lance Cove, Main Street started out as a path that linked the Beach Hill to what was then a quiet grassy pastureland at the Back of the Island, known as "The Green." In the spring, the farmers at The Front of the Island would lead their livestock along this path to The Green to spend the warmer months grazing on the tall grass and resting in the shade. When Fall came, they were brought back to the barns for the winter. (Source: Thomas Power, "Belle Island Boyhood," Newfoundland Quarterly, V. 85, No. 2, 1989, p. 24.)
When I.C. Morris visited Bell Island in 1899, he walked from The Beach to the mine area at the Back of the Island via what he referred to as "the main road.” [This was the same term he had used for the road from the Beach Hill to Lance Cove.] He did not mention the state of the road, which suggests it was in good walking condition that day. He returned to the pier via the East Track. (Source: Daily News, Sept. 7, 1899; Bown, 1899, p. 10)
Like Bell Island's first road that went from the top of the Beach Hill to Lance Cove, Main Street started out as a path that linked the Beach Hill to what was then a quiet grassy pastureland at the Back of the Island, known as "The Green." In the spring, the farmers at The Front of the Island would lead their livestock along this path to The Green to spend the warmer months grazing on the tall grass and resting in the shade. When Fall came, they were brought back to the barns for the winter. (Source: Thomas Power, "Belle Island Boyhood," Newfoundland Quarterly, V. 85, No. 2, 1989, p. 24.)
When I.C. Morris visited Bell Island in 1899, he walked from The Beach to the mine area at the Back of the Island via what he referred to as "the main road.” [This was the same term he had used for the road from the Beach Hill to Lance Cove.] He did not mention the state of the road, which suggests it was in good walking condition that day. He returned to the pier via the East Track. (Source: Daily News, Sept. 7, 1899; Bown, 1899, p. 10)
In the spring of 1904, residents of Bell Island were petitioning for better mail service. The Daily News commented on April 4th, “...no section of the Colony contributes anything like the proportion of wealth to the public treasury; in the face of which their mail service is abominable, the roads are neglected, and the wharf conveniences necessary for the trade of the place are practically value-less.” (Bown, 1904, p. 17)
In the Fall of 1907, the public roads on the Island, especially in the east end, were reported to be knee deep in mud and people had to leave the road and go through fields. The Companies’ roads were covered with cinders, which kept them dry and free of mud, but the government roads were covered with clay. The Road Commission later took the hint and began placing ashes on their roads. (Source, Bown, 1907, p. 23-24)
A Road Board was appointed on June 29, 1909, for Bell Island proper, Lance Cove, and Freshwater. (Source: Bown, 1909, p. 27)
In March 1910, the people of Bell Island were petitioning the House of Assembly to be permitted to govern and control their own local affairs. J.M. Ken, senior member for St. John's East, stated that the rapid development of the Island had outgrown the existing facilities. The mail steamer could not use the public wharf but had to go to the Company’s pier where passengers had to walk up hundreds of steps to the top of the cliff. He said, “In wet weather, the roads on Bell Island are mere swamps.” (Source: Bown, p. 31)
Some claimed that the mud on local roads was so deep that a horse, when it became stuck, had to be pulled out with the aid of ropes and tackle made fast to neighbouring trees. (Source: Bown, p. 34)
...to be continued...
In the Fall of 1907, the public roads on the Island, especially in the east end, were reported to be knee deep in mud and people had to leave the road and go through fields. The Companies’ roads were covered with cinders, which kept them dry and free of mud, but the government roads were covered with clay. The Road Commission later took the hint and began placing ashes on their roads. (Source, Bown, 1907, p. 23-24)
A Road Board was appointed on June 29, 1909, for Bell Island proper, Lance Cove, and Freshwater. (Source: Bown, 1909, p. 27)
In March 1910, the people of Bell Island were petitioning the House of Assembly to be permitted to govern and control their own local affairs. J.M. Ken, senior member for St. John's East, stated that the rapid development of the Island had outgrown the existing facilities. The mail steamer could not use the public wharf but had to go to the Company’s pier where passengers had to walk up hundreds of steps to the top of the cliff. He said, “In wet weather, the roads on Bell Island are mere swamps.” (Source: Bown, p. 31)
Some claimed that the mud on local roads was so deep that a horse, when it became stuck, had to be pulled out with the aid of ropes and tackle made fast to neighbouring trees. (Source: Bown, p. 34)
...to be continued...
ALPHABETICAL LISTING & HISTORY OF ROADS, STREETS & HILLS
ARCHIBALD STREET
Davidson Avenue to Lance Cove Road
Davidson Avenue to Lance Cove Road
In 1926, No. 3 Mine closed down on July 24th for a period of time throwing 250 men out of work. The Highroads Commission started work on three miles of road on the Island to relieve unemployment. A new road diversion was made from Davidson Avenue near the top of Court House Hill to Lance Cove Road near Bridal Avenue and was known as Archibald Street. Joseph Dwyer first built a store and then a home on the new road near the bridge over the West Tramway. (Source: Bown, 1926, p. 16)
I believe this is now considered part of Davidson Avenue. Archibald Street would have been named for C.B. Archibald (1889-1954), who was Manager of the Scotia Company from 1919 to 1922, at which time he became Manager of the entire operation when the Scotia and Dominion companies merged under BESCO, retiring from DOSCO Wabana in 1948.
I believe this is now considered part of Davidson Avenue. Archibald Street would have been named for C.B. Archibald (1889-1954), who was Manager of the Scotia Company from 1919 to 1922, at which time he became Manager of the entire operation when the Scotia and Dominion companies merged under BESCO, retiring from DOSCO Wabana in 1948.
THE BEACH HILL
New construction going ahead in the fall of 1912 included a new road over the Beach Hill. (Source: Bown, 1912, p. 39)
BRIDAL AVENUE
The Front near the start of Lance Cove Road
The Front near the start of Lance Cove Road
In September 1911, construction of a range of houses at the Front was begun by the Scotia Company. It was called Bridal Avenue because the houses were subsequently occupied by five newly-wedded couples. (Source: Bown, 1911, p. 37) The original male occupants of these Company houses were brought in from the Company's head office in Nova Scotia to work in the Scotia Company main office which was located at Scotia Pier at that time, hence the reason the houses were build at The Front, within walking distance of Scotia Pier, rather than at the Mines at the Back of the Island, where most Company houses were located.
CHAMBERS AVENUE
From Scotia No. 1 to The Green
From Scotia No. 1 to The Green
Robert E. Chambers (1857-1929) was the Chief Ore and Quarries Engineer of what would later be known as the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company. The Scotia Company sent Chambers to Newfoundland in 1893 to meet the Butlers of Topsail, who took him to Bell Island to assess the area. He immediately realized that the property was a valuable one and returned in 1894 to begin the work of planning the operation. By September 1895, he had begun work on building the first pier and tramway. He hired 160 men, mostly former Bell Island farmers, to begin mining surface pits on the north side of the Island. A road at the Back of Bell Island, running from Scotia No. 1 to The Green, was originally named Chambers Avenue in his honour.
CHAPEL HILL
Part of the Dominion East Track where it went past St. Michael's RC Church
Part of the Dominion East Track where it went past St. Michael's RC Church
In 1902, the Dominion Company was considering cutting down the steep grade of Chapel Hill [this is where the tramway ran past St. Michael’s Church on the East Track] as ore cars often disconnected from the cable and ran back over the hill, endangering life and property. (Bown, 1902, p. 15)
COMPRESSOR HILL
The road to The Green
The road to The Green
This c.1929 photo is looking north from Bennett Street at two smoke stacks needed for the compressor that pumped air into No. 2 Mine, thus the name "Compressor Hill," the hill that leads to The Green. These particular stacks blew down in 1932. The one-ton ore cars are moving between No. 2 Mine and Dominion Pier. Photo and information courtesy of Charlie Bown.
COURT HOUSE HILL
Linking Old Front Road to Davidson Avenue
Linking Old Front Road to Davidson Avenue
The new court house and constable’s residence were being erected in September 1900 on a road at the Front which has been known ever since as Court House Hill. (Source: Bown, 1900, p. 14)
DAVIDSON AVENUE
Linking The Front to Scotia Ridge
Linking The Front to Scotia Ridge
1910 brought the tragic death on the Dominion east tramway of 12-year old Charles Cox, who was engaged as a postal messenger during his summer holidays carrying messages from the telegraph office at the Front to the Mines. Following this tragedy, the Methodist minister, Rev. A. Bamford, wrote to the Daily News urging that the road be completed from Court House Hill to Scotia Ridge, thus doing away with the necessity of people having to use the Companies’ tramways as a short cut, and would provide the people of Lance Cove with a much shorter route to the Mines. (Source: Bown, p. 31)
When the House of Assembly opened in 1911, another petition was presented regarding having what would become Davidson Avenue completed. It had been started several years earlier and the road graded and drained but not finished. (Source: Bown, 1911, p. 36)
New construction going ahead in the fall of 1912 included work on the completion of Davidson Avenue. (Source: Bown, 1912, p. 39)
On April 28, 1913, Governor Davidson paid an official visit. He turned the sod for the Tramway over the Beach Hill [first passengers carried on Dec. 10, p. 43, col. 2] and then opened Davidson Avenue, named for him. (Source: Bown, 1913, p. 40)
When the House of Assembly opened in 1911, another petition was presented regarding having what would become Davidson Avenue completed. It had been started several years earlier and the road graded and drained but not finished. (Source: Bown, 1911, p. 36)
New construction going ahead in the fall of 1912 included work on the completion of Davidson Avenue. (Source: Bown, 1912, p. 39)
On April 28, 1913, Governor Davidson paid an official visit. He turned the sod for the Tramway over the Beach Hill [first passengers carried on Dec. 10, p. 43, col. 2] and then opened Davidson Avenue, named for him. (Source: Bown, 1913, p. 40)
EAST END ROAD
Bell Island's first "Local Council" was elected in January 1913. On May 10, 1913, Council was working on the East End Road, which was receiving a rock fill topped by a dressing of cinders. (Source: Bown, 1913, p. 42)
FANCY HILL
Part of Main Street at The Front
Part of Main Street at The Front
From the Daily News in February 1925:
The first coloured troupe of entertainers to play on Bell Island came from St. John's in February [1925] under the direction of Charles Foster. Driving conditions were never worse. The roads were full of ruts and gulches. The quintette was driven in catamarans from the Tramway to the Gaiety Theatre on the Green. Harold Harvey's sleigh was in the lead. At the foot of Fancy Hill, the traces of his horse broke and some o the negro passengers were spilled out into the snow. Charlie Foster said in his deep bass voice, "You boys must sure love that road, you're lying so close to it!"
The first coloured troupe of entertainers to play on Bell Island came from St. John's in February [1925] under the direction of Charles Foster. Driving conditions were never worse. The roads were full of ruts and gulches. The quintette was driven in catamarans from the Tramway to the Gaiety Theatre on the Green. Harold Harvey's sleigh was in the lead. At the foot of Fancy Hill, the traces of his horse broke and some o the negro passengers were spilled out into the snow. Charlie Foster said in his deep bass voice, "You boys must sure love that road, you're lying so close to it!"
LANCE COVE ROAD
From Davidson Avenue and Old Front Road to Freshwater (west)
From Davidson Avenue and Old Front Road to Freshwater (west)
For the history of this road, see the essay at the top of this page. Here are a few extra bits of information from the press:
In July 1906, I. C. Morris visited Lance Cove and walked to Freshwater at the western end of the Island. He wrote, “We found the road to be a very good one, it being unusually wide, and leading through a fine forest of spruce.” (Source: Bown, 1906, p. 20)
In July 1906, I. C. Morris visited Lance Cove and walked to Freshwater at the western end of the Island. He wrote, “We found the road to be a very good one, it being unusually wide, and leading through a fine forest of spruce.” (Source: Bown, 1906, p. 20)
MAIN STREET
Linking Beach Hill to The Green
Linking Beach Hill to The Green
When I.C. Morris visited Bell Island in 1899, he walked from The Beach to the mine area at the Back of the Island via what he referred to as "the main road.” He did not mention the condition of the road, which suggests it was not an unpleasant walking surface. He returned to the pier via the East Track. (Source: Daily News, Sept. 7, 1899; Bown, 1899, p. 10)
Until the opening of Davidson Avenue in 1913, the only road connecting the Front of the Island to the busy mining and residential area at the Back was the one by way of Fancy Hill (now known as Main Street). (Source: Bown, p. 31)
Until the opening of Davidson Avenue in 1913, the only road connecting the Front of the Island to the busy mining and residential area at the Back was the one by way of Fancy Hill (now known as Main Street). (Source: Bown, p. 31)
MARTIN'S ROAD
The Front
The Front
June 25, 1911: Happy Home Lodge of the Loyal Orange Association, which was formed in 1910, held a parade to St. Boniface Church on June 25 in honour of the Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary. The parade lined up 500 strong at the Salvation Army Citadel on Scotia Ridge and paraded to the Front by way of Martin’s Road. (Bown, 1911, p. 36, col. 3) [I am assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that the Martin's Road referred to in this clip is part of The Front Road on which was located Martin's Store (which became Pike's Store around the late 1940s or so). The Salvation Army Citadel was located on Scotia Ridge where the S.A. Cemetery is now. While construction of Davidson Avenue was not complete in 1911, it had been graded and drained, so this parade would have marched out it to The Front and gone down Court House Hill, doing so because the road that is now Memorial Street was not constructed between St. Michael's Church and Davidson Avenue until 1925. It would have then turned left on The Front Road and gone past Martin's Store towards St. Boniface Church, which was near the top of Beach Hill where St. Boniface Cemetery is located.] It had been started several years earlier and the road graded and drained but not finished.
MIDDLETON AVENUE
Nickname: Whack Road
Link between West Mines Road and Freshwater (west)
Nickname: Whack Road
Link between West Mines Road and Freshwater (west)
By January 1922, a serious situation had developed in the local industry. There were stockpiles of ore on the surface sufficient for two years and the mines had to be closed owing to lack of markets. While the government officials were on Bell Island to address the situation, a meeting was held at the Star Hall where it was announced that public works were to be started to the value of $5,000. to relieve unemployment. This took the form of constructing a new road to link the West Mines and Freshwater at the western end of the Island. Since this road work was primarily a relief effort, it was nicknamed “The Whack Road,” whack being a colloquialism for “dole” or work done for welfare payments. The road was completed in 1928 and officially named by Governor Sir John Middleton as Middleton Avenue, but the nickname was still commonly used as late as the 1960s. Work on its construction started at the West Barn of the Dominion Company on March 25, 1922. (Source: Bown, 1922, p. 68)
MEMORIAL STREET
Part of which was known as "Church Avenue" in 1917
Part of which was known as "Church Avenue" in 1917
Bell Island's first "Local Council" was elected in January 1913. On May 10, 1913, Council was engaged in building up the road west of the Front Post Office. [At that time, this was a branch off the Front Road that went uphill to St. Michael's Church.] (Source: Bown, 1913, p. 42)
The Star of the Sea Association held their first annual meeting on Jan. 30, 1917 at St. Joseph’s Hall as their own hall, then under construction at the corner of Cemetery Road and Church Avenue, was not expected to be completed until early summer. (Source: Bown, 1917, p. 53)
As part of the public works undertaken in 1922 to relieve unemployment when iron ore markets failed, the road leading to St. Michael’s Church (from the Front Road) was rebuilt from the Star Hall to the East Track by a special grant. This road was later pushed west to connect with Davidson Avenue at the War Memorial and is now known as Memorial Street. (Source: Bown, 1922, p. 68)
In 1925, a new road was under construction towards Davidson Avenue [from the East Track at Chapel Hill?] (Source: Bown, 1925, p. 9)
The Star of the Sea Association held their first annual meeting on Jan. 30, 1917 at St. Joseph’s Hall as their own hall, then under construction at the corner of Cemetery Road and Church Avenue, was not expected to be completed until early summer. (Source: Bown, 1917, p. 53)
As part of the public works undertaken in 1922 to relieve unemployment when iron ore markets failed, the road leading to St. Michael’s Church (from the Front Road) was rebuilt from the Star Hall to the East Track by a special grant. This road was later pushed west to connect with Davidson Avenue at the War Memorial and is now known as Memorial Street. (Source: Bown, 1922, p. 68)
In 1925, a new road was under construction towards Davidson Avenue [from the East Track at Chapel Hill?] (Source: Bown, 1925, p. 9)
TANK HILL
Half way between the Mines (ie. The Green area) and the piers
Half way between the Mines (ie. The Green area) and the piers
In 1912, the Scotia Company was erecting a huge water tank at a point known as Tank Hill, half way between the Mines [No. 6 Mine?] and the pier. (Source: Bown, 1912, p. 39)
TEN COMMANDMENTS RANGE
The northern end of Davidson Avenue, between Bennett Street and No. 2 Road
The northern end of Davidson Avenue, between Bennett Street and No. 2 Road
In October 1907, the Island was cut off without mail for three days by a terrific windstorm and raging sea. Many fences were blown down and windows broken. The greatest damage was done in the ‘Ten Commandments’ Range. (Source: Bown, 1907, p. 23)
WEST MINES ROAD
Link between No. 2 Road and Middleton Avenue
Link between No. 2 Road and Middleton Avenue
In 1907, Weston Hunt opened a blacksmith’s shop on the West Road. [Presumably West Mines Road.] (Source: Bown, 1907, p. 24)