It is accessible by a long gravel forest road of 146 kilometres (91 mi), which reaches towards the east Quebec Route 167 linking Saint-Félicien to Chibougamau.

In 1825, when the Hudson's Bay Company set up a post, they called it Waupatchinauganiskau, which is understood to be the original form of the toponym.

In the 17th century, and perhaps since prehistoric times, the shores of this lake were a gathering and trading place for the Atikamekw, as well as other indigenous people of surrounding areas, where they engaged in social, economic, and cultural interaction.

[5] In 1825, the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) and the King's Posts Company established trading posts on Lake Obedjiwan, that quickly attracted indigenous hunters not only from the area, but also from the eastern James Bay and the upper Ottawa River regions.

Yet in 1911, the HBC transferred its Kikendatch Post back to Lake Obedjiwan, causing the Atikamekw also to return to the area.

The HBC wanted to move away from competing dealers who undermined its trade at Kikendatch while the Atikamekw liked to avoid Europeans who became more and more numerous in the south.

At that time, there was still no real settlement although the Oblates built a chapel in 1916, which was located on the left bank of the Saint-Maurice River opposite of the HBC Post, separated by the Obedjiwan Narrows.

A new village, 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) west at the current location, was not actually built until 1925 following arduous negotiations with the Commission des eaux courantes.