Pasayten River adopted in the 18th Report of the Geographic Board of Canada, 31 March 1924, as labelled on BC Lands' map 2B, 1914, not "Pasayton" as spelled on map 1A, 1912, and on Dominion Sectional maps # 33, Yale, 1912.

Source: BC place name cards, files, correspondence and/or research by BC Chief Geographer/Geographical Names Office.

Flow north across the International Boundary at 49° 00' 00" - 120° 33' 15"; length in British Columbia is approximately 20km; Pasayten River is also the boundary between Similkameen and Yale Divisions of British Columbia's Yale Land DIstrict.

Source: BC place name cards, files, correspondence and/or research by BC Chief Geographer/Geographical Names Office.

Origin/significance not known. Ethnology Department, Provincial Museum has no reference to this name, but suggests "pasayten" might be a form of a descriptive suffix used by Interior Salish, ie Okanagan or Similkameen Indians. (Letter Dec 1972, file M.1.60)

Source: BC place name cards, files, correspondence and/or research by BC Chief Geographer/Geographical Names Office.

Princeton old-timers think this might be the name of a HBC man from the mid-1800's. However, during the course of the Forest Service research, Fred Cattermole of Princeton suggests that the name is derived from the french "pay-du-sayten" meaning country of the devil. Evidently an unidentified historian in Wenatchee, WA shares this theory (information from Fred Baker, Forest Service, January 1973 letter, file M.1.60)

Source: BC place name cards, files, correspondence and/or research by BC Chief Geographer/Geographical Names Office.

Peshastin, a town in the Okanagon area of Washington State, means "wide botton canyon" according to James Phillips, Washington State Place Names.

Source: included with note