Toussaint Louverture capture the town of Hinche from the Spanish for the French making it an early Haitian territory.

In contemporary times the department played a big role in the fight against the American Marines, being a Caco a refuge for men like Charlemagne Péralte and Benoit Batraville.

It borders the Dominican Republic with the province of Elías Piña to the east and is the only landlocked department in Haiti.

In 2004, the floods caused by Hurricane Jeanne resulted in hundreds of deaths, focused in Centre and Artibonite Departments.

The department has two of Haiti's most impressive waterfalls, Sodo, which receives much local tourism in August for the Mont-Carmel Vodoun Pilgrimage, and Zim.