Payette County ID Archives News.....Origin of the Names of "Boise" and "Payette." September 13, 1884
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Patty Theurer seymour784@yahoo.com April 15, 2006, 2:03 am

Weiser Leader September 13, 1884
The Weiser Leader
Weiser, Idaho
Saturday, September 13, 1884

Origin of the Names of “Boise” and “Payette.”

The following letter explains itself:

FALK’S STORE, Idaho, Sept. 7, ’84.
E. Canniff, Esq., Weiser, Idaho.:

Yours of the 5th inst. at hand, and contents noted, and in my feeble way will 
answer your question as best I can.  Some 70 years ago the Hudson Bay company 
built a fort at the mouth of the Boise river, long since gone decay, and a 
Frenchman named Payett was in charge, and it is supposed that he named the 
river, which is French, and means “wood” or “wooded river.”  In 1863 Major P. 
Lugenbeal located Fort Boise as a military post, 45 miles above old Fort 
Boise.  It was then that Boise City was founded—July 7, 1863.  Even to-day old 
Fort Boise is spoken of, but generally called McDowell’s Ferry, just above the 
second crossing of Snake river, as you go from Weiser to Caldwell, and about 
twenty miles below Caldwell.  So it would seem that Boise is of French origin, 
and all came through the Hudson Bay company, or this man Payett.  The Payett 
river was named for him.  Pyat and Boza is the French sound as near as I can 
give it. 

Hoping that the above will be satisfactory, I remain, very truly yours, 
H. C. Riggs.


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