The first Europeans to see the strait were the Canadian explorer William Kennedy and the French naval officer Joseph René Bellot, who reached it by dogsled from Batty Bay in 1852.

This proved that Somerset was an island and that Prince Regent Inlet had a difficult westward exit.

The strait was first crossed from west to east by the Hudson's Bay Company ship Aklavik in 1937, piloted by Scotty Gall.

The Fort Ross trading post on the northern shore was established in 1937, and lasted for 11 years.

However, the building has been refurbished and strengthened, and acts as a refuge for researchers and crews of small boats passing through.