The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1916-01-13
EARLY DAY FARMERS
IN PAYETTE VALLEY
Interesting Story of First Farm
ing Operations Near
Horseshoe Bend

the fayette Vhucy VI laihSis Oil
their methods Of farming. The arti
Gle, in part, follows:
Two outfits Of emigrants afte
journeying across the plains wit
teams and wagons, arrived at or nea
the present site of Boise, where, hear
ing of the discovery Of gold in tn
Basin, they resolved to discontinue
their journey and locate as near tn
new Eldorado as they could find lant
susceptible of being easily irrigated
Fortunately they had foresight enough
to bring with them across the plains
one pillow in each outfit and small
quantity Of garden seeds, and from
one Of the first pack trains arriving
with supplies for the mines they were
able to purchase few potatoes, which
they carefully boarded for seed the
following spring.
After having examined both Boise
and Payette valley for suitable To-
cation they determined that the lat
ter afforded better opportunity to
secure water for irrigation. They ac-
cordingly moved their camp and out
fit to that district above Horseshoe
Bend, since known as Jerusalem. One
party, consisting of John Nicholson
and j. C. Afford, located on a tract of
land lying along the Payette river i'm
mediately below the mouth of what
is known as Brainard creek, from
which water was easily and cheaply
diverted for irrigation and domestic
use. Nicholson and Afford were both
bachelors, industrious, good citizens.
They constructed dugout in which
they lived for three years. The other
party, consisting of Camel and Hogei
and Hogan's wife, located tract of
land on the creek named, there being
plenty of water for both farms or
more properly speaking, gardens.
They too, were desirable citizens. Both
claims were fortunately located. The
soil was rich sandy loan, easily ir-
rigated, and Placerville, wh,ch furn-
ished an ample market, was on'y ap-
proximately thirteen miles distant
over a mountain trail, there being no
wagon road into the Basin during the
spring and early summer of 1868, all
supplies were packed in on horses and
mules.
| and my then partner, John II.
Porter, arrived at Horseshoe Bend, ON
the Payette river, the 30th day of |
April, 1868, having started from Yam
hin, Oregon, on the first day of that
month. We came to Idaho for the
purpose of gardening, bringing with
us six pack animals loaded with our
little garden outfit. Portland, at that
time, as now, was the principal city
in Oregon, and there we expected to be
able to purchase supply of garden
seeds, but we were disappointed in
one particular. 1t was our intention
to plant quantity of onion sets, but
there were none in the Portland mar
ket. Fortunately, however, / had Sc
cured small lot in the country before
We started. We shipped our horses
md supplies, including a pillow, pair
If collars and names, intending to use
'ope harness, to the Dalles, and there
m the sand bar behind the old Una ,
lila House, we packed all our six
lorses and walked to Idaho, arriving
IS stated on April 80. We located on
tributary of the Payette, now known
IS Porter creek, and the next day,
day /, 1868, broke the first ground :
With spade and planted few onion ].
cts we had brought from Yamhill. !.
With ditch to bring water out of I
he creek and fences to build, we had
9 time to build a house so we lived !,
n a small tent for two seasons. In !,
ur efforts to garden, we did as our :
eighbors-limited our efforts to what :
re could accomplish without hiring :
clip. Consequently our garden the
rst year was small, smaller in fact
han the gardens of those who located q
arher on Brainard creek. :"
There were three gardens using
'ater from that creek, Nicholson and :
llford, Hogan and Camel, and Tom :
dis, which with ours on Porter T
reek made four gardens to supply
he needs of from fifteen to twenty :
We thousand persons.
We gardeners were the first monop- !.
lists in Idaho, and if you have ever 4
cen informed that farmer cannot .
njoy monopoly, your informant was =
ot in Idaho, at least not in Boise :,
'asin, at that time. /.
-Four weeks after planting our on f,
on sets we pulled them all, one Sab d
ath morning, and tied them in f
lunches, one dozen in bunch. There |,
roved to be one hundred punches. | g
acked them into Placerville the same O
ay and sold them for $1.00 bunch
s rapidly as l could hand them out.