Considered to be of vital strategic importance during World War II in the event of a Japanese invasion of Alaska, the region's petroleum resources were exploited by the United States Army with the Canol Project, but the pipeline never became necessary and ultimately operated for less than one year.

Although plans have long existed for pipelines and highways to parallel the Mackenzie River through the Sahtu en route to the Arctic Ocean, the landmark Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry recommended that a moratorium be placed on construction until local Indigenous land claims could be settled.

Ground transportation is seasonally provided by a network of winter and ice roads, while the abandoned Canol route now forms part of the Trans Canada Trail system.

The name is also used by the area's First Nations inhabitants to describe themselves and their language, the Sahtú Dene people (historically known as the North Slavey or Hareskins).

Norman Wells, the regional capital, was founded in the early 20th century in order to exploit local oil deposits and has a majority non-Indigenous population.