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*Labradorstein* , or labradorite was the first new mineral species mentioned as coming from Canada, in Werner�s 1780 translation of Cronstedt�s 1758 Systematic Mineralogy . About ten years after labradorite's European introduction, a similar stone was discovered near St. Petersburg, Russia. The province of Newfoundland consists of two geographical regions. One is the name given to the mainland of Newfoundland, known as Labrador, and the second is known as the Island of Newfoundland .	a feldspar find First described by Moravian missionaries working among the Inuit in the late eighteenth century, labradorite was 'discovered' in the form of large boulders on Paul Island, one of many small islands just off the Labrador coastline near Nain. (Today, Paul Island is a core seal hunting area for the Inuit living in the Nain area.) nain, northern labrador It was the Moravians who saw the potential of the brightly colored local rock and who, in 1771, introduced it to Europe, sending labradorite specimens and geological information to the Moravian Mission secretary in London. Not until the middle of the eighteenth century were feldspar-related minerals even vaguely mentioned in mineralogy-related books. Swedish chemist, pharmaceutist, and metallurgist, Johann Gottschalk Wallerius (1709-1785) first mentioned them in his popular work "Mineralogy," written in 1753.
The Moravians traced their beginnings back to John Huss, a Bohemian priest. He was martyred in 1415 for speaking out against corruption in the Roman Catholic Church. Europe's missionary movement was begun by the Moravians, a group of central European Protestants who became convinced of the need to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth by the 1780s. They scattered throughout the world, including southern Africa, to spread the gospel. The Moravians were encouraged by the British government because it was thought that "Christianizing" the natives would improve their often hostile relations with British fisherman in Labrador. Still a very visible presence in Labrador, the Moravian Church's Board of World Mission claims: "The total population of Northern Coastal Labrador is approximately 2,500 individuals living in five coastal villages. Of these, over 2,000 claim a Moravian [religious] heritage." The world-wide influenza epidemic in 1918-1919 nearly wiped out all the northern mission stations with over half of the people in Okak dying, causing the mission to close, and in Hebron, with only 70 of 125 people left.	moravian missionaries Starting in 1727, Moravians, originally from Moravia from which they had fled Roman Catholic persecution to the Palatinate of southern Germany, undertook the first Protestant church missionary work in history, traveling to the Caribbean and North America to bring education and religion to the people of "wild and unknown lands." old moravian mission; hebron bay, labrador photo: department of tourism, culture and recreation The missionaries, who had attempted to establish a presence in Labrador in 1752, considered Labrador attractive because settlement in the British colonies could relieve some of the overcrowding in the European communities to which they had fled earlier. Moravians had already been expressly invited to come to Nova Scotia, founded in 1749 by the British as a naval and military base, by Lord Halifax, then minister for the colonies. A special act of British parliament in 1749 had recognized the Moravians as an "ancient episcopal church," opening a door to exploration and mission in the New World -- and furthering the desires of both the British (for settlers) and the Moravians (to establish missions). Establishing a mission in Nain -- the first of a chain of mission stations serving the Inuit along Labrador's remote northern coast between 1771 and 1960 -- the Moravians opened a total of nine mission stations. Of these, two -- Hopedale and Hebron -- have survived the challenges of Labrador's harsh arctic-like coastal climate and are now Canadian National Historic Sites.
Many today use a polished labradorite fragment as a talisman, hoping to benefit from the stone's reputed metaphysical attributes, especially that of good luck. Inuit carver, Gilbert Hay (b. 1951), raised in Nain -- Labrador's northernmost Inuit community -- is just one of Canada's premier Inuit artists. For Hay, who works in labradorite, as well as soapstone, ivory, whale bone and antler, carving is his way of "practicing his culture." He is particularly fond of using anorthosite, a granular igneous rock (light or dark granite) with striking labradorite crystals imbedded. Hay began carving at the age of 22, when he realized that if he wanted to stay in the "economic desert" of northern Labrador, there were no other jobs for him. Unemployment rates in winter are as high as nearly 80% in some communities.	"firestone" Although labradorite may have been 'discovered' by Europeans, the natives of Labrador -- the Eskimo Inuit who lived on the coast and the Native American Innu who lived inland -- had long attributed mystical qualities to labradorite because of its captivating play of beautiful colors. Calling it "fire rock" or "firestone," they used a powder form of labradorite as a magical potion to cure their ailments. origins of labradorite the aurora borealis or "northern lights" One story tells of a wandering Inuit warrior who came upon the Northern Lights, trapped in stone. With a mighty blow of his spear, he freed most of the lights which are now seen at night in northern skies. However, some of the lights remained trapped in the stone, resulting in labradorite. Another story tells of how all the stars in the sky once lived on earth, embedded in the rocks. One day, a "Mighty Being" pounded the rocks with a huge hammer. Freeing the stars, they flew up into the heavens leaving only a few still in the rocks -- seen now as the flash of color in labradorite.
Stretching 88 miles from the Gulf of Finland to Lake Ladoga, the Salpa Line was a comprehensive fortification system, begun after the Soviet Union severed diplomatic relations with Finland on 29 November, 1939, launching full-scale air, land, and sea attacks the following day. Built in 1940-41, the purpose of the fortification system was to protect Finland's eastern frontier as much as possible against the Soviet aggression. A huge undertaking, the Line's construction included over 35,000 men plus 2,000 women supplying them with provisions. Stretching all the way to the northern frontier of Finland, the Finns took full advantage of their rugged terrain. A David vs. Goliath struggle, the Finns had 96 aircraft to the Soviet's 800. Covering an 800 mile front, Finn forces numbered 13,000 men while the Soviets had 140,000.	spectrolite's discovery Quarried from the rugged bedrock of Yl�maa in the southeast of Finland, spectrolite was discovered in 1940, during the throes of the Russo-Finnish War. remnant of the salpalinja, hewed from boulders, many of which contained spectrolite photo: salpalinja The Finns, who were quarrying stones along Finland's eastern border (South Karelia) for the purpose of making tank traps to counter Russian armored tanks, noticed a puzzling but dramatic blue flash emitting from the bedrock they had just dynamited. As construction of Finland's eighty mile defensive line, known as the Salpalinja (Salpa Line), continued, crossing the province of South Karel with trenches, tank traps and bunkers, labradorite crystals continued to be found in many of the boulders raised as defensive traps. After the war, in honor of the Finnish stone's unique "gemmy" quality, Professor Aarne Laitakari, then Director of the Geological Survey of Finland, chose the trade name "spectrolite." His purpose in choosing the name was to differentiate it from the "lower quality" Labrador product and to explicitly reference to the wide spectrum of colors it can display -- brilliantly iridescent blues, purples, yellows, greens, and even, on occasion, a red or hot pink.