Adopted in the 15th Report of the Geographic Board of Canada, 31 March 1917, as labelled on Lieut. Mayne's 1859 Sketch of part of British Columbia, and on Trutch's 1871 map of British Columbia, et seq. Confirmed 6 September 1951 on 92J.

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

"This river takes its English name from the fact of the Indians having made a bridge across its mouth, which was afterwards pulled down by two enterprising citizens, who constructed another one, for crossing which they charged the miners twenty-five cents." (Four Years in British Columbia and Vancouver Island, by Lieut. R.C. Mayne; published in London, 1862; p.131.) Bridge located about 1 mile above mouth on Lieut. Mayne's 1859 map, Sketch of Part of British Columbia.

Source: included with note

"An Indian bridge crossed this stream at its mouth when the white men came [1859] - hence its name." (Caspar Phair, Assessor, Lillooet, 1911). "According to A.C. Anderson was originally known by the French name "Riviere du Pont." (Anderson, James Robert; Notes and comments on early days and events in British Columbia, Washington and Oregon; manuscript, 1925; Provincial Archives E/B/An 2). The traditional name is/was Seclatqua.

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

"Named after the Indian bridge across the river near its mouth. Mentioned as "The Bridge" in Archibald McDonald's 30 September 1826 letter from Fort Kamloops to John McLoughlin, HBC Chief Factor, Fort Vancouver, and shown on his Sketch of Thompson's River District, 1827. The Indian village here was named Kanlax, meaning "the point". In 1859, during the gold rush, Fraser and David replaced the Indian bridge then in use with a 40 foot toll bridge costing $1,450 and founded a town which contained seven business houses and several tents. The bridge toll was 25 cents. The Bridge River valley was called by the Indians "Skumakum" meaning land of plenty." (Bancroft, 453-454; HBC Archives; Dawson, 44; Mayne, 131.)

Source: Provincial Archives' Place Names File (the "Harvey File") compiled 1945-1950 by A.G. Harvey from various sources, with subsequent additions

Headwaters at 50 47 - 122 13.

Source: Canadian Geographical Names Database, Ottawa