Horsefly is an unincorporated community on the northwest shore of the

Horsefly River The Horsefly River is a river in the Cariboo district of British Columbia, Canada. Originating near the Wells Gray Provincial Park, it flows into Quesnel Lake, the source of the Quesnel River which in turn is a major tributary of the Fraser Rive ...

, in the

Cariboo The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia, Canada, centered on a plateau stretching from Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the caribou that were once abundant in the region. The Cariboo was the ...

region of central

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. The location, via BC Highway 97, Likely Rd, and Horsefly Rd, is about northeast of Williams Lake, and by road south of

Quesnel Lake Quesnel Lake is a glacial lake or fjord in British Columbia, Canada, and is the major tributary of the Fraser River. With a maximum depth of , it is claimed to be the deepest fjord lake in the world, the deepest lake in BC, and the third-deepest ...

Mining

Peter Dunlevey's party of

prospector Prospector may refer to: Space exploration * Prospector (spacecraft), a planned lunar probe, canceled in 1962 * '' Lunar Prospector'', a NASA spacecraft Trains * Prospector (train), a passenger train operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western ...

s is credited with the first discovery of gold in the

Cariboo Gold Rush The Cariboo Gold Rush was a gold rush in the Colony of British Columbia, which later joined the Canadian province of British Columbia. The first gold discovery was made at Hills Bar in 1858, followed by more strikes in 1859 on the Horsefly River, ...

near the site of the present village. However, evidence indicates H.O. Bowe's party arrived weeks earlier to the Horsefly River in the summer of 1859. That year, at least four separate groups found gold. During the following years, small placer operations existed. In 1884, Thaddeus Harper obtained sizable mining leases, but his operations from 1886 to 1888 were unsuccessful. In 1891, R.T. Ward, who had bought or leased the Harper claims, found paying ground. Called the Horsefly Gold Mining Co., activities continued until 1902. From 1891, the Miocene Gravel Mining Co undertook

underground hard-rock mining Underground hard-rock mining refers to various underground mining techniques used to excavate "hard" minerals, usually those containing metals, such as ore containing gold, silver, iron, copper, zinc, nickel, tin, and lead. It also involves the ...

. About downstream was a

hydraulic mining Hydraulic mining is a form of mining that uses high-pressure jets of water to dislodge rock material or move sediment.Paul W. Thrush, ''A Dictionary of Mining, Mineral, and Related Terms'', US Bureau of Mines, 1968, p.560. In the placer mining of ...

operation. Soon called the Horsefly Hydraulic Mining Co., those operations existed until 1899.

Name origin

The settlement was known as Harper's Camp, after Thaddeus Harper, a rancher and miner. In 1920, residents voted to rename the village Horsefly. The name derived from the

and Horsefly Lake, so designated by the early pioneers because of the prevalence of horseflies during the summertime. The numerous horseflies and mosquitoes forced people and horses to cover their heads with cloth hoods.

Early community

By the 1890s, the town served the miners and ranchers of the area. In 1896, Minnie Hazel Walters was the first Caucasian child born in the town. That year, Alex Meiss established a small hotel, as did Harry Walters the following year. Harry was the inaugural postmaster 1897–1905. A separate post office operated 1895–1908 downstream at the mining operation. In 1902, a branch of Harvey Bailey Co. (Ashcroft) established a store. In 1904, Meiss, built a three-storey hotel with 14 rooms. In 1910, he owned the first car in the community. That year, Annie Moore was the inaugural school teacher. In 1912, a toll bridge superseded fording the river. The next year, Chelsey Bell and his sister Lena opened a store in the Walter's hotel, later relocating to larger premises.

Later community

Having about 1,000 residents in the vicinity, Horsefly is a popular tourist destination with a

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

based economy.

Sockeye salmon The sockeye salmon (''Oncorhynchus nerka''), also called red salmon, kokanee salmon, blueback salmon, or simply sockeye, is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it. This species is a P ...

return each fall to

spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment, and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** '' Spawn: ...

in the Horsefly River. Horsefly offers all the amenities to locals and visitors, including a K–12 school, a general store, gas station, hardware store, museum, motel, cafe, beauty salons, neighbourhood pub, fire department, community hall (managed by the community club), and a seniors activity & wellness society. Around 2005, internet connectivity came. In 2021, ABC Communications, the only provider of fibre optic service, upgraded the speed and reliability of the internet.

Footnotes

References

* {{authority control British Columbia gold rushes Geography of the Cariboo Populated places in the Cariboo Regional District Designated places in British Columbia Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia