St. John's/Quidi Vidi: It is believed by some that John Cabot arrived in the harbour of St. John's on the Feast of St. John the Baptist on June 24, 1494, hence the name; but others disagree, particularly since it has been suggested that Cabot made landfall in Bonavista, many kilometers away on that same day.

The name first appears in print on an early map, dated 1519, by the Portuguese Cartographer, Pedro Reinel, where it is listed as Rio de San Johem. On the City of St. John's website, the following list shows how the name varied over the 16th century: Haven of St. John (1527); Sam Johem (1546); Sainct Johan (1555); St. John's (1578 and 1583); S. Jones (1610); Saint Johns (1620); St. John's (1622); St. Ieans Harbour (1680); St. John's Harbour (1689).

It appears that Anthony Parkhurst, a Bristol merchant, explorer and advocate of English settlement in Newfoundland, was the first person to record the common spelling in 1622. He was made four voyages to Newfoundland between 1561 and 1583. St. John's also known as the "City of Legends", "Newfiejohn", "Sin Jawns" and simply the "Town" has the Motto "Avance" which when translated, from the French, means "Go Forward".

St. John's, the home of many seasonal fishermen during the spring, summer and fall months, however around the 1630s it became a "permanent" community. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica website, the entrance of St. John's, known as the Narrows, guarded by Signal Hill (500 feet (150 metres]) and South Side Hill (620 feet [190 metres]), is about 1,400 feet (425 metres) wide, narrowing to 600 feet (185 metres) between Pancake and Chain rocks, making the harbour one of the most impressive (and protected) of all harbours in Canada.

St. John's prospered as a fishing port, despite frequent attacks by the French and disastrous fires in 1816-17, 1846, and 1892. St. John's became the seat of government of Newfoundland, an English colony at the time, in 1832 when Newfoundland was granted a colonial legislature by Britain.

It was officially incorporated as a city in 1888. St. John's became the capital city of the province when Newfoundland joined the "rest" of the Canadian Confederation in 1949.

Today it is the largest city in the province. In 2016 the population was recorded as being 108,860, which reflects a 2.5% increase from that enumerated 5-years earlier in 2011, when there were 106,172 residents.

From the Encyclopedia Britannica website, a bit more information on the city: The city, one of the oldest and the most easterly in North America, now dominates the economic and cultural life of the province. It is the island of Newfoundland's commercial and industrial centre, a major ocean port, and the base for the provincial fishing fleet; it is also the easternmost terminus for the Trans- Canada Highway and for several national airlines. Among its varied industries are shipbuilding, fish processing, brewing, tanning and the manufacture of clothing, hardware, marine engines, paint, and furniture.

The city's two cathedrals (both dedicated to St. John the Baptist) are the ornate basilica (1841; Roman Catholic) and the ecclesiastical-Gothic Anglican cathedral (originating in 1816 and rebuilt after the great fire of 1892).

The Confederation Building (1850) replaced the Colonial Building (1860) as provincial headquarters and houses a military and naval museum.

St. John's is the home of the Memorial University of Newfoundland (1925) and Queen's College (1841; Anglican), and its Newfoundland Museum displays relics of the extinct Beothuck tribe (Newfoundland's original inhabitants).

Signal Hill Historic Park, once a location for signaling the approach of ships, memorializes several events, including John Cabot's presumed landfall (commemorated by a tower [1897]); the French-English struggle for Newfoundland that ended in 1762 with the last shot fired on the hill (remnants of the fortifications, notably the Queen's Battery, remain); and the reception atop the hill at the Cabot Tower by Guglielmo Marconi of the first transatlantic wireless message in 1901 from Europe.

From the city's Lester's Field, the aviators Captain (later Sir) John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Brown took off in 1919 to make the first nonstop transatlantic flight to Clifden, Ireland.

The Quidi Vidi Battery, which once guarded the entrance to a small fishing harbour east of Signal Hill leading to a small lake, has been restored to its 1812 appearance; the annual (August) regatta held since 1828 on the lake, is one of the oldest organized sports events in North America.

A "not-to-be-missed" site in St. John's is the historic fishing village of Quidi Vidi a neighbourhood tucked right inside St. John's proper (pronounced "Kiddy Vidi"). It harbour is known as "The Gut" and was settled early in the 16th century, when it wa known by the name "Quaida Vaida". Philip Hiscock, a Newfoundland folklorist, ha suggested in a CBC post of July 24, 2018, that it might have come from Italian or Portuguese, sounding "possibly like 'quey de videy' meaning 'what a beautiful sight" or possibly from Latin however, its actual etymology is unknown.

Hiscock recounts a funny story featuring Moses Harvey, a Scottish Presbyterian minister who moved to Newfoundland in the mid-1800s: Harvey said he was standing up talking to some visitor, who looked at a sign of Quidi Vidi's name and said, 'Oh that must Latin, hey?" That's when Harvey looked at the tourist, perplexed - but then decided he was going to poke some fun. "Look, it's obviously Latin? This is where Julius Caesar came ashore. Julius Caesar and his men trumped up and they looked around and they said, 'What a beautiful sight."

Paddy's Pond: Located about 9 km southwest of St. John's, Paddy's Pond is home of the St. John's Water Aerodrome, operated by the Avalon Float Plane Association. As almost everyone knows, Paddy is the diminutive form of Patrick, one of the most common names for boys in Ireland

Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin of 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill

Address of this page: http://nl.ruralroutes.com/StJohns