The area was first visited by the English navigators Martin Frobisher and Henry Hudson. The area was transferred from British colonial authority to the Dominion of Canada in 1894, however the northernmost islands were claimed by Norway until 1930.
Along with the District of Keewatin and the District of Mackenzie, it was one of the last remaining districts of the old Northwest Territories before the formation of Nunavut in 1999, at which point it ceased to exist. The area was split between the two newly created territories; Victoria Island was divided with 2/3 in Nunavut, and several other islands were also divided between the two territories.