Owyhee Country takes its name from an outdated spelling of “Hawaii.” Fur-trading ships brought Hawaiian natives, then called “Owyhees,” to the Northwest. In 1818, Donald Mackenzie brought the first big brigade of fur hunters to the Snake River valley and sent several Owyhees to trap in this region, but they never returned. Since then, the area has been known as Owyhee Country, and Owyhee County still carries the name.