The following are three versions of the story found in the museum archives: The early French fur traders' name for the falls was Portage D'Oreille, or literally speaking, "carrying place of the ear".

Upper Ear Falls, about 1.5 miles upstream, was drowned out when the lake level was raised some 16 feet (4.9 m) when the power dam came into operation, and nothing of it remains today except dangerous ripple rapids with a very strong current.

In 1821 both companies united, and posts were set up in the Ear Falls area on Lac Seul and Red Lake.

It was the success of the gold mines which led to the shaping of the region's transportation, land use and settlements patterns.

When bush planes became more affordable to transport goods, Ear Falls became the jump off point to Red Lake.

By constructing the dam at the head of Lac Seul, the lake would become a large reservoir, retaining the spring run-off for use by power developments downstream on both the English and Winnipeg River systems.

The conservation dam was an economical means to create a storage basis for power developments in both Ontario and Manitoba.

Upper Ear Falls was drowned out by the dam, and well known landforms around the lake disappeared under the water level.

In order to retain operators for these plants, the company recognized that they would need to supply quality housing, schools, recreation halls, stores, hospitals and other buildings.

The Ojibway name, Obishikokaang Waasiganikewigamig, means "White Pine Narrows electricity generating building".

The Ear Falls GS powerhouse is connected to the 185-metre long Lac Seul Conservation Dam which is owned by the province of Ontario and operated by OPG.

The Chukuni Lumber Company was eventually purchased by Colenso of Red Lake Road in 1968 and the Ear Falls sawmill operations were closed.

The Canadian Northern Railway constructed a line to the mine which crossed highway 105 to the south of Ear Falls and the outlet of Lac Seul to the east of the dam.

On 14 May 1998, the Ear Falls Sawmill opened to produce dimensional lumber (Premium, Stud, #3 & Btr, Economy; 2x3, 2x4, 2x6; 6' to 9' length).

The sawmill was built by Avenor Inc. and later sold to Weyerhaeuser, then to Domtar, and is now owned by Eacom Timber Corporation.

[6] Unifor estimates as many as 125 of its members will have work at the sawmill site and up to 175 more will be employed in log harvesting and hauling operation.

Ear Falls is a natural funnel for supplies and services, due to its location between Vermillion Bay and Red Lake and its waterway access points.

Hunting and fishing have been a popular draw to the area for years, and more recently, eco-tourism has added an additional element to the tourism experience of Ear Falls.

Other facilities include a Community Health Centre (built in 2010) and a Municipal Government Building (constructed in 2011) which contains the Municipal Office, Fire Hall, Day Care, Public Library, Best Start Hub (Parent Resource Centre) and a Museum as well as public meeting rooms.

It has numerous fishing and hunting camps located throughout the area, catering to both novice and seasoned fishermen alike.

In the summer months, mountain biking, ATVs, hiking and geocaching are some of the ways to see the wildlife and experience the outdoors.

In the winter months, activities include snowmobiling, snow-shoeing, ice fishing and cross-country skiing are common.