Background:

Established February 28, 1917 with its county seat at Payette. Named for the Payette River which was named for Francois Payette, a Canadian fur trapper and explorer with the North West Company, who came to this county in 1818. He was the first white man in the area and brought the first cattle. Boomerang, which was named for the log boom on the Payette river, was constructed as a railroad camp in 1883 and later changed its name to Payette.