The commercial spring seal hunt was one of Newfoundland and Labrador's most dangerous and demanding industries in the 19th century.

As seals became more difficult to harvest, Newfoundland outfitters turned first to larger sailing vessels and then to wooden-hulled steamers.

Asbestos mining in Newfoundland dates back to the 1890s, when two small-scale mines were established on the west coast

Reports of iron ore on Bell Island go back to at least 1578, when a merchant from Bristol, England, reported finding iron deposits there.

Newfoundland and Labrador's physical environment greatly influenced the ways settlers made a living during the 19th century. The richness of marine resources encouraged a pattern of coastal settlement and made the cod and seal fisheries central to local economies. In contrast, the relative scarcity of good soils and other terrestrial resources made large-scale farming operations impractical and discouraged year-round habitation of interior spaces.

Throughout the nineteenth century, Newfoundland and Labrador's economy centred on its ability to export goods to foreign buyers.

The origin of what is today referred to as traditional society in Newfoundland and Labrador may be traced to a way of life that developed around the inshore fishery in the late 19th century outport.

An informal economy is one in which people provide for their own needs by engaging in a variety of noncommercial activities

Until well into the 20th century, Newfoundland's primary economic activity was in the fisheries.

Mining has played an important if sporadic role in the economic, social, and cultural history of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Although the main line was itself a signal feat of engineering and political optimism, branch lines were also integral to the Newfoundland railway.

The history of the railway: The construction period, the Reid family, the Government of Newfoundland, Canadian National Railways, and TerraTransport.

Operations of the Newfoundland railway and the types of equipment that was required.

The Newfoundland railway operated for a little over a century. From 1882-97 the trains ran over completed portions of a projected trans-insular line.

The first sealing vessels from St. John's sailed to the ice in 1793. Following their successful expedition, the sailing seal fishery expanded rapidly.

The bulk of seals taken annually in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off the eastern coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador are Greenland seals, or harps.

A history of the merchant community in Newfoundland and its effect on trade and commerce

Advances in transportation during the late 1800s and the early 1900s affected the development of the forestry and mining industries in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Newfoundland and Labrador's outport economy depended not on cash, but on merchant credit for much of the 19th century.