Person
Bell, George Renison (1840 - 1915)
- Born
- 21 November 1840
Bothwell, Van Diemen's Land, Australia - Died
- 2 September 1915
Devonport, Tasmania, Australia - Occupation
- Mine manager and Prospector
Summary
George Bell was a mineral prospector who discovered rich ore beds in Tasmania and managed mining operations in Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia. After some early prospecting excursions in Tasmania, in 1874 Bell discovered a deposit of alluvial tin at Boobyalla, from which a tin-mining industry developed in the surrounding area. He was engaged by a Launceston syndicate in 1890 to search for mineral prospects in western Tasmania, finding the lode north of Zeehan which became the Renison Bell tin field. This was barely viable until over 70 years later, by which time improved metallurgical technology revealed Australia's richest tin ore body. Bell retired in 1908 after eight years working for the Mt Lyell Mining and Railway Company.
Related entries
Published resources
Book Sections
- Pink, Kerry, 'Bell, George Renison (1840-1915), prospector and mine-manager' in Australian dictionary of biography: supplement 1580 - 1980, with a name index to the Australian dictionary of biography to 1980, Christopher Cunneen, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2005), p. 25. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bell-george-renison-12791. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21538247. Details
- 'Bell, George Renison (18401121-19150902)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1463106. Details
Helen Cohn
Last modified: 16 February 2017