John Cabot is thought to have first sighted the New World at Cape Bonavista on June 24, 1497. However, the cape was unoccupied until the 1600s when it became a French fishing station and later a permanent English settlement. Although the British fortified the point in 1696 to deter French aggression, Bonavista was the site of a notable battle in the 18th century. Outfitted with only a few armed ships, a British fishing master and local residents defended the coast from French raiders. Learn More...