In the 1920s, the first mining companies began operations in the Abitibi region. Activity expanded in the '30s and '40s. Mining development brought a large influx of workers in its wake. In order to accommodate the increasing numbers of miners they required, companies took on the job of urban planning and established towns they ran themselves.

On April 20, 1934, Lamaque Gold Mines Limited obtained authorization from the Québec government to establish a town in Bourlamaque County. In so doing, Lamaque was seeking to meet its own needs, i.e., house its staff, technicians and some of its workers. The mine provided the town with an urban plan and erected just over sixty log houses, using white and black spruce cut at the site.

Bourlamaque is a fine example of a pioneer town of that time - a closed enclave where a single company organized every aspect of community life. The Village minier Bourlamaque was designated as an historic site by the Québec government in 1979. Today, it is a residential village. A house typical of the period has been preserved for purposes of visits and interpretation.