pace continued to increase, until by the end of 1956 the Missabe Mountain Mine had brought forth a total of 72,201,605 tons of ore. And this mine was by no means the only one. The list of mines that follows names those in which Finns were known to have worked:'

Of all these millions of tons of ore brought out of the earth, a significant portion has been dug by Finnish miners. Their demand that they receive an adequate pay for their work, a fair share justly belonging to labor from all these profits, often brought them into conflict with the various mine managements Their moving on to other means of earning a livelihood, and above all their role in clearing the St. Louis County wilderness, a logical consequence of their first decision, are proof that the contribution of the Finns to the development of Virginia and the areas surrounding it have not been insignificant.

The Finnish Settlement in Virginia: Finns were among the first arrivals, setting up temporary camps on the Mesabi ridge early in the 1890s, when mining was still a prospecting activity. The first rich finds immediately altered the picture, and as early as August 1892 the official announcement was forthcoming in Duluth that a so-called Virginia Incorporation Company had been established. Two weeks later all newspapers carried big advertisements highlighting the desirability of the lands offered for sale in the center of the world's richest iron deposits : "The

1. Bulletin of the University of Minnesota, Mining Directory Issue, Minnesota, 1956.

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