This riding was first created as Cariboo District following British Columbia's admission into the Canadian Confederation in 1871.

The name was changed to "Cariboo" in 1872, and existed in this form until it was abolished in 1892 when it was amalgamated into the new riding of Yale—Cariboo.

Under the Representation Act of 1892, the constituencies of Yale and Cariboo were united to form Yale—Cariboo.

In 1914 that riding was broken up and the Yale and Cariboo riding-names were restored, although the new constituencies were considerably smaller than before.

A major redistribution in 1947 took away the southern half of the Cariboo district, with a southern boundary at 52 degrees 30 minutes north, just excluding Williams Lake and the south bank of Quesnel Lake.