Tag: Wabana

Wabana is a Canadian town and the largest and only incorporated community on Bell Island in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The town is situated on the northeast end of the island and was incorporated in 1950. Bell Island’s soil contains red hematite or iron ore and this resource was the main reason for Wabana’s development.
Wabana came to prominence during the 1890s when the Butler family from Port de Grave staked mining claims on the north side of the island. These were sold to the Nova Scotia Steel Company and later sold to the Dominion Steel Corporation in the early 1900s. The first mine opened in 1896 and the site of the mines was named Wabana by Thomas Cantly, an official with Nova Scotia Steel Co. – the name being Beothuk for “place where the light shines first.”
The mines saw Wabana’s population swell to 14,000 within a few years, the second largest community in the colony of Newfoundland. 101 workers lost their lives over the course of Bell Island’s iron ore…