Grand Manan's first recorded visitor was Diego Homen, a Portuguese Captain who described a cape of Islands at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy.

Captain William Owen, a British naval Captain visited in 1770, that may have caused the Island to be surveyed ten years later, recognizing it as a potential settlement.

By the early nineteenth century, Grand Manan drew scattered groups of fishermen from the United States and Nova Scotia. Farming played a key role in the development of the early settlement.

In the years prior to 1820, farming competed with fishing as a way of life. However, by 1850 torch fishing, weir fishing and lobster fishing became popular.

During the last half of the century Grand Manan fishermen became masters of their fishing grounds by skill and determination. As fishing became a commercial venture smoke houses, ice and salt houses, and sawdust sheds sprang up along the shoreline.

In the recent past, tourism has played a significant role in the economy of the Island. There are several hotels and cottages available for the summer visitors. Daily whale and bird watching tours are also a big draw to the Island. The trails of various distances allow the hiker to experience the serenity of the out doors and spectacular views of the Island.

Lighthouses

With its treacherous ledges and tides of 29 feet, it was soon realized that light and fog stations were essential to protect the shipping route in and out of the Bay of Fundy. Before automation nine manned lighthouses were in operation around Grand Manan. The first of these was the lighthouse built in 1831, on Gannet Rock.