[1][4] It is located at the intersection of Routes 111 and 393, on the La Sarre River, a tributary of Lake Abitibi.

Before colonization, the area was home to the indigenous Algonquin who called the place Wabakin, from wàba and akin meaning "there is a mountain of hardwood", and called the La Sarre River Adikameg Sibi, which was also identified as Amikitik.

[1] The first white settlers, six in number, settled as squatters on the land in the late 19th century and were discovered during the survey of the township in 1908.

Real colonization began at the time when the National Transcontinental Railway running through the Abitibi region was completed.

The first permanent pioneer family arrived in 1912, followed by more settlers and development drawn to the area for its mining, forestry, and agricultural potential, and resulted in the formation of the settlement.