The name is believed to derive from Jacques Marquette when he used the harbor as his first resting place when he embarked from St. Ignace on his trip down Lake Michigan almost 200 years earlier.

When the railroad industry began expanding into the Upper Peninsula by the end of the century, Epoufette was bypassed, and the nearest train depot was 11 miles (17.7 km) north in the community of Rexton.

L.A. Sweet served as the postmaster and a prominent businessman in the area, and he operated a mill and grocery store.

[3] Early travel to Epoufette was limited to the Peter White Trail, which ran along the shoreline west from St. Ignace.

Epoufette is a small community located within Hendricks Township in the state's Upper Peninsula about 30 miles (48.3 km) west of the Mackinac Bridge.

[1] The community is centered along U.S. Route 2 on the northern shores of Lake Michigan about 27 miles (43.5 km) west of the city of St. Ignace.

Other nearby communities include Brevort to the southeast, Trout Lake to the northeast, Garnet to the northwest, and Naubinway and Engadine to the west.

[15] The western portion of the bay is a small cape named Point Epoufette that extends a short distance into Lake Michigan.