Historically, the Indigenous nation of the Nipissings used the Minnehaha Bay as an access point to Lake Temagami. In later years the bay was used by the paper and pulp mills of Sturgeon Falls to collect logs coming from upstream lumberyards in Field and River Valley.
Under the terms of law, a dock had to be built by the Government of Ontario to accommodate the pulp and paper mill and, by extension, the community. This is the reason why local residents colloquially call the latter ''Government Dock''.
Minnehaha Bay is now home to a 6,700-square-foot building, boat slips, a boardwalk and an outdoor amphitheatre and has become an important panoramic site and tourist attraction for Sturgeon Falls.