Toby Creek adopted 23 April 1912 on Ottawa file 0022, as labelled on BC "Map of the East & West Kootenay Districts", 1898. "Toby Creek (not Toba Creek)" published in the 11th Report of the Geographic Board of Canada, 30 June 1912.

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

It was near the mouth of this creek that David Thompson built Fort Kootenai in 1807. The stream is shown but not named on Thompson's maps. In March 1912 Mr. Hamilton, Columbia Valley Irrigated Fruit Lands, (unsuccessfully) proposed that Toby Creek be renamed David Thompson Creek, as Hamilton had located ruins that he felt were the remains of Thompson's fort. (1912 file).

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

After Dr. Toby, physician and prospector, who came with a party of prospectors from Colville, Washington in 1864, to look for gold. Toby Creek is first mentioned by name in the 1878 BC Mines Report. "...William Fernie, formerly Gold Commissioner for East Kootenay....says the creek had that name [Toby] when he first saw it in 1864" (letter from BC member of the Geographic Board of Canada, Fleet Robertson, to B.G. Hamilton, 6 February 1912).

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

Was formerly Rivière de Thompson, it was near mouth that Thompson built a fort to defend himself in 1809. (Robert V. McGuiness).

Source: Canadian Geographical Names Database, Ottawa