The area has been occupied since time immemorial by the
Simpcw who are members of the
Secwepemc. The origin of the name 'Barriere' (originally and alternately, Barrière) is uncertain but dates back to at least 1828. There are two main theories: the name arose either as a description of indigenous fishing techniques or as a description of the difficulty with which the river was crossed by early French-speaking fur traders.
George Mercer Dawson noted in an 1877–78 geological survey report that, "[t]he [Barrière River] as its name imports, is sometimes crossed with difficulty in the spring." Difficulty in crossing was also noted by early
Hudson's Bay Company traders. Notes at the
Kamloops Museum suggest that it was named in 1828 when
Archibald McDonald created an early map describing the rocks at the mouth of the river which impeded navigation. A place names file in the
Provincial Archives of BC compiled in the 1940s by AG Harvey from various sources notes that it could be as a description of the indigenous fish traps. One such barrier observed in the Barrière River was described by
Dawson as "two weirs or fences each of which stretched completely across the stream."
Samuel Black's map of 1835 shows the
Barrière River, as well as showing lines across other rivers near
Clearwater that are marked as 'barrière'. The present community dates its beginning from 1914 with the establishment of the post office and railway station. The presence of the grave accent has alternated over the years. In 1915 it was recorded as 'Barriere'. In 1955, it was changed to 'Barrière'. When it was incorporated as a District Municipality in 2007 it was spelled as 'Barriere' in the enabling Letters Patent. Various other locations in the area retain the grave accent including the
Barrière River, East Barrière River, Barrière Mountain, East Barrière Lake, North Barrière Lake, South Barrière Lake, and Upper South Barrière Lake. The people of the
Simpcw First Nation, still reside in present-day Chu Chua, just north of Barriere.
George Mercer Dawson noted a location of an important old indigenous village site at the mouth of the
Barrière River based on observations in 1877, 1888, 1889 and 1890. Gold was discovered in the area as early as 1861, and was mined using the
placer method. The August 12, 1861 edition of the British Colonist mentions "...one party of Frenchmen at a place above Kamloops called Barrier (sic). They are fluming the Thompson, and expect to take out $25 per day to the hand, it is also incorpurated (sic)." Depending upon where one resided, $25 could purchase an acre of land, a saddle, or double-barreled shotgun. To give some sense of proportion to these figures: comparing $25 of daily gold production per hired hand to the price of a barrel of crude oil in 1861 ($0.49), the gold production would be the equivalent of more than of oil per hand per day. The gold rush also brought smallpox to the Simpcw population, reducing their numbers significantly.
2003 fire In 2003, a major forest fire,
McLure Forest Fire, swept through the area surrounding Barriere and destroyed 72 homes and 9 businesses, most notably the Louis Creek sawmill, a large local employer. On Wednesday, July 30, 2003, the careless discarding of a cigarette butt by a McLure resident into dry pine needles and withered grass, began a nightmare for those who lived in the North Thompson Valley. The McLure fire was reported to the BC Forest Service at 1:02 p.m. Crews and airtankers were dispatched within 22 minutes. Resources on the fire by July 31 were; 100 firefighters (with 45 persons working the fire overnight), four helicopters, nine bulldozers, two excavators, and five water trucks with the McLure and Barriere Fire Departments. The fire burned the mountain above Barriere called Armor Mountain, in the Louis Creek zone. It also burned across the North Thompson river from Barriere, to Bonaparte Lake. Due to this fire, 3,800 people were evacuated, 880 of these people were also evacuated for a second time, from the small communities of McLure, Exlou, Barriere and Louis Creek. The evacuation order was lifted on August 8, although the fire was not officially declared contained until August 31. The fire reached a final size of 26,420 hectares. On July 26, 2008 a wildfire dragon monument was erected in Louis Creek to commemorate the determination and compassion of those who fought the flames and those who aided in the rebuilding of the community. The fire cost $31.1 million CAD to extinguish and caused another $8.2 million CAD in property damage. ==Climate==