Bowe's party arrived weeks earlier to the Horsefly River in the summer of 1859.

[5] The numerous horseflies and mosquitoes forced people and horses to cover their heads with cloth hoods.

[12] The next year, Chelsey Bell and his sister Lena opened a store in the Walter's hotel, later relocating to larger premises.

[13] Having about 1,000 residents in the vicinity, Horsefly is a popular tourist destination with a forestry based economy.

In 2021, ABC Communications, the only provider of fibre optic service, upgraded the speed and reliability of the internet.

[15] Horsefly has a humid continental climate, with warm summers, and moderately cold, snowy winters.