Some ten miles off the Maine Coast is a small island, which has been an important natural landmark. Since times immemorial, the island has felt the tread of mankind. In aboriginal times, the Penobscot Indians rowed the long distance to the island to fish and process whales. In fact, the name of the island, Monhegan, derives from the Penobscot word meaning "Faraway Island." Due to its location, for years Monhegan Island has been the first landfall for mariners approaching the Maine Coast from sea. It has been called "the most famous deep sea island on the Atlantic coast." Its historical record is impressive. From strange "inscriptions," believed to be a runic script, found on the rocks of adjacent Manana Island, some believe that Monhegan was visited by ancient Phoenicians or, later, Vikings. Legend also has it that about 565 AD, the Irish monk St. Brendan visited the island.
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