1604	First recorded use of the name "Canso", in Samuel de Champlain's journal Sieur de Monts, granted a trade monopoly for the area by the French crown, travels to Acadia. Canso is already a recognized rendezvous place. Pont-Grave finds Basque fishermen trading with Mi'kmaq in Canso Harbour.
1606	Marc Lescarbot, with de Monts, arrives at Canso; they are met by Mi'kmaq sailing a fishing chaloupe.
1607	Lescarbot meets Savelet in nearby Whitehaven.
1611	Father Biard arrives at Canso and celebrates his first mass in Acadia.
1632	Isaac de Razilly builds a trading establishment. Fort Saint-Francois, at Canso. Nicolas LeCreux is placed in charge.
1634	Jean Thomas leads Mi'kmaq in an unsuccessful attack on Fort Saint-Francois.
1649	Monsieur d'Aristigny receives 25-227,000 pounds worth of furs at Canso for charles d'Aulnay.
1653	Nicolas Denys receives monopoly rights to all resources for Cape Canso to Cape Rosier (Gaspe).
1658	Following the English capture of Port Royal, Emmanuel Le Borne establishes a habitation at Canso.
1659	Denys moves his trading establishment from St. Peters to Chedabuctou (Guysborough), while maintaining a fishing station at Canso. Denys remains in Chedabuctou until conflicts with rival Charles de Cange, then returns to his St. Peters habitation in 1662.
1660	Explorers Radisson and Groseilliers stop at Canso on their way to New England to seek trading affiliations.
1670s	Massachusetts fishermen begin extending their fishery into Acadian waters as far as Canso.
1684	Boston seaman, Toby Carter, is taken prisoner at Chedabucto for aiding English pirates in a raid on the fishing station at Canso.
1687-88	A census of Acadia by Gargas records the inhabitants of Canso as 13 Mi'kmaq in 3 wigwams. He writes that Canso is "one of the best places for cod-fishing.... In this place the Company have established their fishery."