The canoe brigades of the Hudson's Bay Company travelled through Oskélanéo River to supply trading posts at Obiduan, Chibougamau, and Mistissini. Furthermore, the community was also used by prospectors, local Atikamekw Amerindians, and even some recreational canoeists as an access point to the north, making the Oskelaneo canoe route so popular that it prompted the construction of manually operated locks on the Oskélanéo River between the rail station and Bureau Lake (now flooded by Gouin Reservoir).
The canoe brigades of the Hudson's Bay Company traveled through Oskélanéo River to supply trading posts at Obiduan, Chibougamau, and Mistissini. Furthermore, the community was also used by prospectors, local Atikamekw Amerindians, and even some recreational canoeists as an access point to the north, making the Oskelaneo canoe route so popular that it prompted the construction of manually operated locks on the Oskélanéo River between the rail station and Bureau Lake (now flooded by Gouin Reservoir).