Saint John was initially settled by the French who established contacts with the indigenousness peoples. Fort La Tour was the principal military base in what is now Saint John. Over the next century the French and British struggled for control of the area but in 1785 there was a large influx on British loyalist fleeing the ‘rebels’ in what would become the USA. In that year it became the fist incorporated city in what would become Canada. Its relative importance stemmed from the fact the is had a deep water port that could be access overland during winter. It thus became a key first port of call for ships travelling across the Atlantic from Europe.
Saint John was also close to the US State of Maine and during the War of 1813 and the Fenian Raids on 1866, and 1871-2, was regarded as vulnerable to attack from this area. Saint John also developed into an important port, exporting timber to Europe and importing consumer goods,