Early settlers of the place were Ibalois and Kankanaeys who find their ways of living through “kaingin” system.  They planted rice on wide cultivated portions of the mountains.

  There was one harvesting time when a big fire burned all the rice kaingins and harvested palay including the wide forests.  All the harvested palay including those yet to be harvested turned into ashes.  The Ibaloi kaingineros could not do anything except to sigh in dismay and sadness uttering the Nabaloi words: “Apuolan day kapageyan, Dimmebbo day inani” (the rice fields are already burned, all the harvested rice turned into ashes).  Due to the volumes of ashes and dust in the area, clouds of dust fill the air when winds blow so much so that the people used to identify this place as “Tumapok”.

            Barrio Tumapoc was one of the first barrios that comprised the town of Burgos during the Commonwealth Period and the Second World War.  The old folks could freshly remember that the first “Tentiente del Barrio” was the late Juan “Enciong” Aquino.  He was then followed by Patricio Misanis, then, Vicente “Sinte” Apilado, Sr. The place was then a big barrio until a lower portion of it was segregated, at the pleasure of the community people, in 1968 as one barangay (Lower Tumapoc) by virtue of Provincial Board Resolution No. 531 stating therein the name of the barrio as Barangay Upper Tumapoc.

            Lying proudly on the faces hills and mountains, Barangay Upper Tumapoc is bounded on the East by Barangay Linuan; on the West by Barangays Dalacdac and Lower Tumapoc; on the Northly Barangay Delles; and on the South by Barangay Bilis and New Poblacion.  Linuan and Upper Tumapoc are separated by a steep mountain and the Sulbuan River that flows from Sablan, Benguet to Caoayan, Burgos, and La Union.

            The first to settle were Ibalois who originated from Atok, Sablan, and Kapangan of the Province of Benguet.  This was followed by Ilocanos from various towns of La Union, like Naguilian.  Because of its fertile soil, it invited some migrants who, with their satisfaction, decided to permanently live in the barangay.

            At present while the people have different cultures, the barangay is sailing peacefully and smoothly.

            Four sitios are scattered in the Barangay, namely; Sulbuan, Pilig, Balikewkew, and Centro. This 316.3474 hectare- barangay is occupied by 824 (in 2015) people. The center of the barangay could be reached through a barangay road from the Municipal Public Market at New Poblacion with a distance of about 4.5 kilometers.

            Farming is the main source of income of the community people.  Farmers carved rice paddies along slopes of mountains where they could plant palay and various kinds of highland and lowland vegetables.  Rice, banana and other root crops like: ube, cassava, camote and gabi are also planted and cultivated on sides and slopes of the hills and mountains.  Tiger grass are planted and grow abundantly on slopes and sides of mountains making Upper Tumapoc one of the main sources of boyboy (tiger grass) in the Municipality and even in the province. While farming is considered the main source of income of the inhabitants, many residents are also engaged in various professional jobs, and skilled works, and broom making.

            It has one elementary school and one secondary school.  It has also a barangay hall.