In 1980, the two islands, including a section of mainland, were designated as a National Wildlife Area (NWA) [1] and in 2001 the Cape Jourimain Nature Centre, operated by a charitable nonprofit organization, was opened to the public.

Evidence suggests that the Mi'kmaq hunted walrus, seal, and a variety of other species along the coast and that they used sea canoes to cross the Northumberland Strait from Cape Jourimain to PEI.

[4] In the 1830s, the name Cape Tormentine was shifted to another community further down the coast and the area became known as the Jourimain Islands, which is theorized to be a misspelling of germain, a French word for "sibling".

[5] After the British defeated the French in the mid-1700s, settlers from New England began re-establishing the areas of Sackville, Cumberland, and Amherst, later moving out towards Bayfield and the Jourimain Islands around the beginning of the 19th century.

The cannery, which was located between what is now Gunning Point and the Confederation Bridge, was operated by the Portland Packing Company and was primarily staffed by young Acadian women.

Throughout the 1870s and early 1880s, as a result of the iceboat service, the Allen Hotel, and a thriving lobster industry, Cape Jourimain reached its economic peak.

The lighthouse continued to operate for another 39 years before officially closing in 1997 when the Cape Tormentine ferry service was decommissioned as a result of the opening of the Confederation Bridge.

In 2016, the lighthouse was moved for the third time throughout its history in an effort to protect it from coastal erosion,[10] and in 2017, extensive renovations were completed in a bid to save the structure years of deterioration.

In 1992, after a number of studies and an extensive environmental impact assessment,[18] Strait Crossing Joint Venture was granted the development contract and construction began in 1993.

In 1997, the same year that the Confederation Bridge opened, a group of passionate experts and local property owners established the Cape Jourimain Nature Centre Incorporated, a charitable nonprofit organization dedicated to providing eco-tourism opportunities and educational services to the public.