 The Horsefly River and Horsefly Lake were given their names by the miners who came to the area during the Cariboo Gold Rush and were greeted by masses of pesky horseflies, but the village of Horsefly was known as Harper's Camp until approximately 1920 when it was changed to Horsefly.The first major gold discovery of the Cariboo Gold Rush was made on the Horsefly River by Peter Dunlevy in 1859.More goldseekers soon arrived and a town was built near the site of Dunlevy's strike including several hotels, a store and a post office.