The present site upon which the community of Chisasibi is located is relatively new. The beginnings of the community, however, goes back several centuries, at which time, the then nomadic Crees used a nearby island for summertime assemblies. This island, later known as Fort George, eventually became the permanent site of the Chisasibi Crees. The establishment of a trading post by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1803 reinforced the island as a permanent site. In 1852, an Anglican mission was established, followed by an Anglican school in 1907 and a Catholic mission in 1927. The population of the community grew from an estimated 750 in 1940 to almost 2,000 in 1980, at which time it was relocated to its present site.