The Miramichi region was settled by Acadians after the capture of Louisbourg and by English lumbermen. It is famous world wide for its diverse fishery, though the Atlantic salmon for which it was once known has suffered. Baseball great, Ted Williams was one of the many fans of the river, coming to fish it almost every summer following his retirement from baseball.
The name, possibly one of the oldest recorded Canadian toponyms of Native American origin, may derive from the Innu word for "land of the Mi'kmaq".