Logging helped to spur even more people to move into the area, and in 1911, the Idaho Northern Railroad was constructed by the OSL, running from Emmett near the mouth of the Payette along the river, past present-day Black Canyon Reservoir, up into the North Fork watershed and ending just below Long Valley at Smith's Ferry on the river, named for a settler who bought the operation in 1891.
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Further east, the Deadwood River parallels the Middle Fork and empties into the South Fork just west of Lowman.
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To the east of Banks, the South Fork's Canyon, west of Lowman, is a challenging Class IV run for rafting.
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Camas bulbs, coming from a widespread flowering plant in the basin, was their primary staple throughout the year.
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It is named for its location at the horseshoe-shaped U-turn of the Payette River, whose flow direction changes from south to north before heading west to the Black Canyon Reservoir.