Emmett and Gem County

The Payette River and some of its tributaries serve Gem County from border to border. An abundance of water, a mild climate with protected valley floors, and natural vegetation beckoned to those on Placerville�s Umatilla Trail. Having reached the ocean, many of those who had not found their utopia were on the move again, looking with an experienced eye for a place to settle with their families. These valleys had blessed the Shoshoni Indians, as well as the fur trappers and enterprising people pr