Bell Island Iron Ore mine

We drive half an hour up to Bell Island and took the tour through the closed mine!  We got to experience what it might be like to have worked in a mine. 

Ugh! Horrid backbreaking work! The youngest boys (11 -12 years) worked up top culling the tails then when they turned 14 - 15 years they went into the mine and worked as “Nipper’s”!  They would have to nip here and there to fetch this and ths.

The horses lived and worked in the mine for a month at a time; then lived up top fir a month.  The caregiver would have to wrap their eyes up with cloth and take them off one layer at a time until all the layers were off. 

The mine was open for 71 years and there were 107 deaths; this mine was considered the safest in Canada. The tour was a terrific experience. 

Still working on index card art.