Labrador History

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An Indian boy buried at L'Anse Amour is the earliest evidence of human habitation in Labrador and dates to about 6,095 BC; this is the oldest burial mound discovered in North America. These earliest inhabitants have been dubbed Maritime Archaic. These people were followed by such groups as Early Paleo-Eskimo, Dorset Eskimo and Labrador Eskimo.

The first Europeans to set foot on Labrador were Bjarni Herjolfssom and his crew, in approximately 1000 AD. They came to cut wood but it is presumed they did not establish permanent settlements. Leif Ericksson heard his tales, followed the same route to Labrador and named it Markland. Eventually they established a permanent settlement called L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. The 1,000th anniversary of the landing of the Vikings was celebrated in 2000.

The next Europeans to "discover" Labrador were cod fishermen and whalers from Basque and Breton in the late 15th century. In 1534, the explorer Jacques Cartier visited what is now believed to be coastal Labrador and dubbed this area: "the land God gave to Cain." (from the book Cain's Legacy by Richard Geren and Blake McCullough.) This phrase has endured and colored many perceptions of the "Big Land". About this time the fight for ownership of Labrador began.

In 1668, King Charles II gave a land grant including all of Labrador to the Hudson Bay Company. However, it was not until the 1830s that a trading post was finally established in Labrador (Fort Naskapi). It was established to purchase furs from local hunters and trappers. Shortly thereafter, in 1702, the King of France granted part of the same territory including most of Labrador to Courtemanche. To thicken the plot, in 1770, King George III gave the Moravians a land grant of one hundred thousand acres of this same area. These missionaries created the first permanent European settlements in Labrador. It wasn't until the 1800s that other churches built missions in Labrador.