The island itself is off limits, but there’s a viewpoint, a visitor center, some statues, and a rocky cove. The lighter land in the background is Canada. As is often the case in New England, I visited here as a child, although I had forgotten. Rediscovery is rejuvenating.

The French were determined to establish a trading post here in 1604, but the winter killed half of them. One of the survivors was Samuel Champlain, who went on to found Port Royal in Nova Scotia—the first successful colony north of Florida—and Quebec. He also accurately mapped the coastline, opened fur trade with the natives and was de facto Governor of New France.