Aboriginals have inhabited the Saguenay Fjord area for thousands of years prior to the first Europeans arriving. The first European to visit the area wasJacques Cartier, in 1535. Between 1628 and 1842, the Saguenay economy was heavily dependent on the fur trade. In 1838, settlers began moving into the Saguenay region. Between 1840 and 1920, the region had a sizable lumber industry. By the end of the 19th, much of the forests around theSaguenay River were depleted. In addition to the depletion of the forests, difficult terrain and the decline of the lumber industry led to the Saguenay area remaining mostly undeveloped into the 20th century.^[4]

Starting in 1970, the Quebec government began acquiring land around the fjord in hopes of protecting it. In 1982, the government held public on the park’s design and boundaries. Saguenay National Park was officially created on June 8, 1983. In 1984, the park was twinned with France’s Cévennes National Park.^[4] In 1991, facilities were added to the Baie du Moulin-à-Baude section, while in 2000, facilities were added to the Baie-Sainte-Marguerite section. On April 20, 2011, the park changed its name from Saguenay National Park to Saguenay Fjord National Park in order to emphasize the fjord‘s distinctiveness of being one the most southerly fjords in the world.^[3]

(Courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saguenay_Fjord_National_Park)