St. John's is the capital of Newfoundland-Labrador, as well as its largest and easternmost city. After "discovery" by England's John Cabot in 1497, the area was controlled at times by the French and Spanish, with several invasion attempts by the Dutch. The British ended all that in 1762 by defeating the French in the Battle of Signal Hill. Mainly a fishing village, the town grew slowly and actually burned nearly to the ground several times during the 18th century. Oil and gas production, along with tourism, have replaced fishing as the dominant industries. The population is currently around 110,000.
Signal Hill is a strategic location above the city and the entrance to its harbor, providing great views of both. Cabot Tower was built as a memorial to the battle of 1762, which is commemorated each summer with a reenactment performed by local high school and college students. As is probably true of actual battle, it was hard to know what was happening, but in the end, the British flag was flying and the victorious soldiers were smiling.
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