The Brigus Tunnel was built for the famous Captain Abraham Bartlett.
Captain 'Abram', sealer and fisherman, would in the early spring, join the Newfoundland sealers off the northeast coast to hunt, and in the summer prosecute the cod fishery off Labrador.
Brigus was at the time a thriving port, the harbour frequently very crowded with ships and men. After purchasing a larger ship, Bartlett's berth at Riverhead was no longer suitable. The only remaining suitable deep water berth nearby was in Brigus Harbour.
Brigus' sheltered and deep water harbour was ideal for holding large ships but a place to dock a ship was difficult due to the surrounding cliffs. A tunnel through the ridge would give Bartlett access to his ship and allow for easy offloading of the catch.
Bartlett purchased a section of land near the ridge and hired the Cornish miner John Hoskins to construct a tunnel. Hoskins began work on the tunnel around about 1860. The roughly 80 foot long tunnel was constructed by hand drilling holes into the rock and using gunpowder to blast. The tunnel took around four months of continuous work to complete.
Measuring eight and a half feet high and about eight feet wide, it allowed wheel barrows, wagons and even horse and carriages to access the Bartlett wharf. The tunnel was used in commeercial operations until around 1910.
Around 1866 Abram Bartlett became part owner of the steamship Panther. Upon construction she was fitted for steam in Greenock, Scotland and the Panther was among of the first steamships used in the Newfoundland sealing fleet.
Abram was the grandfather of the well-known Captain Robert Abram 'Bob' Bartlett.