[1] It is on the eastern shore of Lake Superior, approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Sault Ste.

The name "Batchawana" is derived from the Ojibwe word obatchiwanang (or spelled badjiwanung), meaning "current at the strait" or "narrows and swift water there", and refers to the turbulent or bubbling waters flowing between Batchawana Island and Sand Point where the lake narrows and a strong current and undertow results.

[7] This pristine undeveloped island was also reputedly the site of Spirit houses (elevated graves) of the Ojibwe.

[15] In the early 1920s, the largest fish ever recorded in the Great Lakes was caught by Frank Lapoint in the bay.

[4] The bay was historically notable as the dividing point separating the two Robinson Treaty areas between the Crown and the Ojibwe people.