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The original Fort Providence was established near the mouth of Yellowknife Bay in the country of the Yellowknife Chipewyan tribe, shortly after Alexander Mackenzie visited the area in 1789. However, this post was abandoned about the time Franklin's expedition to the Coppermine in about 1820.
The construction of a highway to Yellowknife with a ferry crossing at Fort Providence brought change to the traditonal trapping community in the 1960s. In a move to traditional ways, 60 people spent the winter of 1981 at Willow Lake and Tathlina Lake outpost camps. These camps have continued to be used and two more outpost camps were constructed at Mud Bay and Axe Point. The population of Fort Providence today is about 750 residents.
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