The new settlers of Payette Valley had outlaws and Indians to contend with. Four men built a log roadhouse approximately four miles east of Emmett and were supposedly honest proprietors. Nearby, in a rocky recess in the hills, corrals had been built for horses. This became known as Picketts Corral and he noted "robbers roost." As a safety measure, underground tunnels to the corrals, which were made of ten foot high logs, placed close together, connected the pine log roadhouse. Stolen horses were held in the corral until enough were rounded up for a drive to Oregon to sell or trade. Horses brought back were then sold to farmers in the Payette Valley. All went well, until a farmer noticed a familiar brand on horse.Ada County horse thieves often went to Nevada, Washington and Eastern Oregon and brought horses back to the Boise area corrals. When complaints were filed at the sheriff's office in Boise against thieves, he would take them out for drinks in a local saloon. Upon investigation, it was determined that Sheriff Updyke was the leader of one of the gangs. Months later he was found dead, hanging from a tree on Syrup Creek Ranch. Lawlessness was so rampant that the Payette Valley stockmen decided that they must take matters in their own hands by organizing a posse. The first trip was to the Grand Rhonde River in Oregon where they recovered stolen stock.
These settlers had pledged themselves to stand together on matters pertaining to personal security of property of any resident, to chase and capture no matter the expense, all horse thieves who stole livestock belonging to a resident or traveler and to administer punishment to be determined by the posse. The blockhouse in Payette Valley, three miles below Emmett, was the meeting place of the Vigilante Committee of Payette Valley. It pledged to continue in existence until all of the horse stealing, bogus dust dealing and highway robbery were stopped. All prisoners taken were to have a fair trial by a jury composed of seven members, majority to rule on the verdict. Three forms of punishment were authorized. (1) Twenty four hours to leave the country; (2) Whipping in public; (3) Death.
One of the first problems to be dealt with concerned the bogus dust peddlers. Gold dust was the principal medium of exchange and sometimes bogus dust could be passed off to merchants, who then passed it off to others. Most of it was made in San Francisco of lead cuttings plated with a yellow coating. The deception was obvious to a miner, but when mixed with real gold dust, it could be passed off as the real thing.The man by the name of Conklin, who made his headquarters with the Picketts Corral gang, was the local agent for the bogus gold syndicate. Written notice was served on him to leave the country. Five men escorted the man serving the notice to the roadhouse at the Picketts Corral. While at the bar, he found several of the Picketts Corral gang and Conklin. They all went outside to the Corral for a discussion. The written notice was handed to Conklin, but he could not read it, so the Vigilante read it to him and he said afterwards, "Show your colors, I'm no immigrant. I'll make you the biggest funeral in Payette Valley." An ugly scene developed but the bogus agent was gone within twenty four hours.
Down the Payette River near its mouth, was the Washoe Ferry operated by two Stewart brothers and a Mr. Bryant. The ferry had become a rendezvous place for a gang of horse thieves from Picketts Corral. The Payette Vigilantes came to the ferry February 1865, taking the three proprietors to Falk's Store, where they were locked in a small room to be tried in the morning for horse stealing. During the night they escaped, but were later caught up with near Baker City. They were allowed to go if they left the country. At Baker City, they met a man who offered to buy the ferry for $5,000.
Several owners operated the Washoe Ferry until 1906, when the wagon bridge was built connecting Ontario, Oregon and Idaho.