Between 1949 and 1955, the US Army Corps of Engineers constructed the Lucky Peak Dam a few miles upstream from the Diversion Dam. The Lucky Peak Dam is 2,340 feet in length, 340 feet high, and backs up water on the Boise River for 12 miles. Below the dam there are a few mounds of rubble that are the remains of The Foote House (aka The Canyon House), a beach recreation area, and some unusual canyon walls that look like columns.
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| The Foote House (Photographer and date unkown) |
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| Remains of The Foote House |
Map Rock Road runs along the north side of the Snake River and at GPS coordinates 43 25.242, -116 42.250 there are carvings on a large basalt boulder that have been interpreted to represent a map of the Snake River and it's tributaries. There are also other petroglyphs in the area.
In 1888 George Froman built a Ferry across the Snake River at Marsing that was in use until a bridge was constructed in 1921. The Ferry system was designed with a pulley attached to a cable spanning the river and "by angling the barge into the swift current, the ferryman could make it cross the stream in either direction with no other power."
We were driving down State Highway 19 in Homedale when we noted a sign in the middle of the road indicating that the Senior Center was serving lunch and they were just asking for donations. Since it was lunch time, we parked in front of the building and wend in for lunch. It turns out that they do not have a lot of guests, so we were the hit of the day. Everyone came up to us and asked where we were from and why we were in Homedale. A number of people wanted to visit with us, so lunch lasted longer than expected; but we had good time and a good lunch!
There is also a nice veterans memorial in Homedale at the junction of State Highway 19 and US Highway 95.
Wilder is a small farming community that produces a number of agricultural crops, but the area is primarily known for one crop - "hops," which are used in beer brewing. They also produce grapes and there are several wineries in the area.
US Highway 95 was closed north of Wilder and the signs directed us to take a long detour around the construction site. However, by driving on some backroads we were able to get around the construction area and ended up near the elevator in Parma.
The Martin Landing historical site is located at the confluence of the Boise, Owyhee and Snake Rivers, and there was reported to be a historical monument at the site. However, after driving around the area and through the campground we could not find any evidence of a historical monument. Against my better judgement, we finally ask a person working in the campground for directions and he said that he did not know of any historical monument and if there had been one it was now probably under water. He suggested that we go over to Old Fort Boise because he knew that there was a historical marker at that location.
When we arrived at Old Fort Boise, all of the roads were blocked due to flooding, so we did not have the opportunity to visit the historical marker. However, I did find a picture of the Old Fort Boise Historical Marker on the web.
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| Photographer and Date Unknown |
As we drove around Payette, we noticed a number historic buildings and various monuments and memorials.
A few miles up the road Weiser was originally established as a Snake River ferry crossing, and did well financially because it diverted much of the business from the ferry crossing at Old Fort Boise. As the railroad moved westward, Weiser became the transportation hub and major regional market center for the area, and by the 1890s Weiser reached its height of prosperity. Then, the railroad chose Huntington, Oregon, for its major section yard, which stopped Weiser's growth.
Weiser now bills itself as the "Fiddling Capital of the World" and the National Oldtime Fiddler's Contest has been held here each year since 1953. There are also other musical groups that perform in the city park adjacent to the courthouse for free.
Lyons Park is located at the site of old Fort Wilson, which existed from 1877 to 1937. The fort was built by early Payette Valley settlers during the Nez Perce Indian War, but after it closed the structures were completely demolished and now only a marker remains at the site.
The Payette County Veterans Memorial is also located in Lyons Park, along with a memorial to the C-125 air transport crew that lost their lives on October 9, 1958 when their plane crashed just north of the park.
When we arrived in Emmett, we learned that we had missed the annual Cherry Festival by one week, but we still found fresh grown cherries at the farmer's market located in a city park adjacent to the old railroad depot.
The Freezeout Hill Memorial and a number of historical markers are located at the Emmett Overlook on State Highway 16.
One of the historical markers indicated that in 1864 the Pickett Corral Gang (a band of notorious horse thieves) operated in this area, so the area residents organized the Payette Vigilance Committee, took the law into their own hands, and drove the gang out of the area.
Another historical marker indicates that in 1894 the mining town of Pearl was located near the road's summit, but by 1910 the ore ran out and Pearl became a ghost town. At one time Pearl had 3 mercantile stores, a butcher shop, 4 saloons, 2 hotels, a church, a school, a fire station, and an Odd Fellows Lodge. The Pearl building have all been demolished, but there are still a number of mines in the area.
Eagle Island State Park was originally established as an honor farm so that state prison workers could grow product to feed inmates at the prison. The park is now a family recreation area and the eagles like to use telephone poles for nesting areas!
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