In early 16th to 17th centuries, the “Id-dules” (Aetas or Baluga) and Egongots (Ilongots) tribe inhabited the southern Sierra Madre and Caraballo Mountains.

Pantabangan (Pantabanganan in early 18th century) may have came from the root Ilongot word "Sabangan or Sabanganan" that means "junction of water streams".

It was learned that most of the places in the area were derived from Ilongot words like Caanaoan, Puncan, Cadanglaan (now Carranglan), Kabaritan (Now San Jose City) and others.

About 8,100 hectares (20,000 acres) of productive farmland and the town center (East and West Poblacion) along with seven outlying barangays (Villarica, Liberty, Cadaclan, San Juan, Napon-Napon, Marikit and Conversion) were submerged under the new lake.

Residents were relocated to higher ground overlooking the vast reservoir, which became the new Pantabangan town center.

to be the second largest dam in Asia, and supplies the irrigation requirements for about 77,000 hectares (190,000 acres) of agricultural lands in Central Luzon.

In February 1996, then President Fidel V. Ramos led the ground-breaking ceremony of the Casecnan Transbasin Project, a 27 kilometres (17 mi) tunnel from the Casecnan River in Nueva Vizcaya to a terminal point at the Pantabangan reservoir and was commissioned on December 11, 2001.

Some notable places include Highland Bali Villas Resort and Spa, Lake Farm de La Marre Agri-Tourism Park, and George Point.

[20] Since the completion of the dam, the site of the old town has become visible during times of extremely low water levels in the reservoir coinciding with the El Niño phenomenon, with recorded instances occurring in 1983, 2014, 2020 and 2024, sparking an influx of visitors to the site, particularly the cross of the Saint Andrew Church constructed in 1825.