Horsefly, British Columbia

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Horsefly is an unincorporated community in the Cariboo region of central British Columbia, located on the northwest shore of the Horsefly River. By road, it’s about 67 kilometres northeast of Williams Lake and 22 kilometres south of Quesnel Lake. The area has around 1,000 residents and a forestry-based economy, and it’s a popular destination for visitors.

The community began during the Cariboo Gold Rush, with mining activity dating back to the late 1850s. It was first known as Harper’s Camp after miner Thaddeus Harper. Mining continued in the area for years, including the Horsefly Gold Mining Co. (1902) and underground and hydraulic operations nearby until the late 1890s. In 1920 the town was renamed Horsefly. The name comes from the river and lake, and from the many horseflies that swarmed in summer, which once forced people and horses to wear cloth hoods.

Today, Horsefly has a general store, a gas station, a post office, several small businesses, and an elementary school. It is home to the Horsefly Volunteer Fire Department, widely regarded as one of British Columbia’s top volunteer departments. Each fall, sockeye salmon return to spawn in the Horsefly River. Internet service arrived around 2005, and in 2021 ABC Communications upgraded the fibre-optic network. The area experiences a humid continental climate with warm summers and cold, snowy winters.