The population of Cumberland House consists of mostly First Nations people, including Cree and Métis.

To the east, the Saskatchewan River led to Lake Winnipeg and on to Montreal or Hudson Bay.

During the construction of Cumberland House, the traders were challenged by the inland location and their unfamiliarity with crafting canoes.

The first European known to have passed the site was Louis-Joseph Gaultier de La Vérendrye, in the spring of 1749.

A private fur trader, Joseph Frobisher, set up a temporary post on Cumberland Lake in 1772.

Hearne took the Grass River (Manitoba) route from York Factory which led him to Cumberland Lake.

A month after Hearne had finished building, Thomas and Joseph Frobisher arrived on their way to intercept HBC furs at Frog Portage.

The next year, Mathew Cocking was in charge, and the two Frobishers reappeared, along with Alexander Henry the elder.

The first bridge to the mainland, across the Saskatchewan River, was built in 1996, replacing a ferry during the summer months and ice crossings in the winter.

On 24 May, 2024, the community declared a state of emergency after rains washed out the only road connecting it to the rest of the world.