Kamiah ( ) is a city in Lewis and

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

. The largest city in Lewis County, it extends only a small distance into Idaho County, south of Lawyer Creek. The population was 1,295 at the 2010 census, up from 1,160 in 2000. The city lies in the narrow valley of the Clearwater River; downstream are Orofino and Lewiston, at the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

with the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river in the interior Pacific Northwest region of the United States. About long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, which is the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. Begin ...

History

The Kamiah area has been inhabited by the

Nez Perce The Nez Perce (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning 'we, the people') are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who still live on a fraction of the lands on the southeastern Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest. This region h ...

for centuries. The name "Kamiah" is

for "many rope litters," as Nez Perce manufactured "Kamia" ropes in the area to fish

steelhead Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the Fish migration#Classification, anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or Columbia River redband trout (''O. m. gairdneri'', also called redband steelhead). Steelhead are native to cold-wa ...

. Also according to Nez Perce tradition, the Appaloosa horse was first bred in the area. On their return trip east, the

Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...

camped in the Kamiah area for several weeks during the spring of 1806, waiting for snows to melt.Kamiah ID Chamber of Commerce
Accessed 3 February 2008 Kamiah is the character name of the Nez Perce/Blackfoot woman in '' Across the Wide Missouri'', a 1951 'mountain men' film set in the 1830s. Similar in fame to Sacagawea of the Lewis & Clark expedition, Kamiah led her associated mountain men's troop over the Bitterroot Range to her homeland (Three Forks, Montana for Sacagawea). Hohots Ilppilp was the leader around Kamiah from at least the time of Lewis and Clark until the 1840s. When the first leader for all the Nez Perce was appointed, it was Hohots Ilppilp's grandson Ellis who lived in this area and maintained large herds of sheep, cattle and over a thousand horses. Kamiah is within the

Nez Perce Indian Reservation The Nez Perce (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning 'we, the people') are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who still live on a fraction of the lands on the southeastern Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest. This region ha ...

. Similar to the opening of lands in

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, the U.S. government opened the reservation for white settlement in November 1895. The proclamation had been signed less than two weeks earlier by President

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The city is located at the confluence of Lawyer Creek and the Clearwater River on the left bank of the latter. In the Kamiah area, the Lewis-Idaho County line follows Lawyer Creek to its confluence with the Clearwater, and then turns to follow the Clearwater. U.S. Route 12 passes through Kamiah, crossing from the right to left bank of the Clearwater at the city. The two streams cut deep and narrow valleys through the otherwise relatively flat, rolling

Camas Prairie Camas prairies are found in several different geographical areas in the western United States, and are named for the native perennial camas ('' Camassia''). The culturally and scientifically significant of these areas lie within Idaho and Montana. ...

region that surrounds Kamiah. The city is located at 1,250 feet above sea level, but elevations of over 2,800 feet on the prairie lie within three miles of Kamiah. In addition to U.S. Route 12, transportation links to Kamiah are provided by Idaho State Highway 64 and Idaho State Highway 162.

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Kamiah has a hot-summer

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfa'').

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 1,295 people, 596 households, and 325 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 642 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 82.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.4%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 8.9% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 3.7% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 5.5% of the population. There were 596 households, of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.5% were non-families. 39.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age in the city was 45.7 years. 23.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.7% were from 25 to 44; 26.7% were from 45 to 64; and 24% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,160 people, 531 households, and 302 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 607 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.88%

, 0.26%

, 8.02% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.09%

, 1.47% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 4.14% of the population. There were 531 households, out of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were

living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% were non-families. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.87. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 20.9% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $21,793, and the median income for a family was $33,424. Males had a median income of $25,982 versus $19,688 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $14,111. About 12.5% of families and 18.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The city's largest employer was the Three Rivers Timber sawmill, which employed 108 before its closure in late 2008. After nearly two years, the mill was sold and restarted in August 2010 as Blue North Forest Products.Idaho Labor Dept.
- Lewis County - 2010 - accessed 2012-02-21

Notable people

* Chief Lawyer, Nez Perce leader, is buried at Nikesa Cemetery in East Kamiah * Ken Hobart, former

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

, graduated from Kamiah High School in 1979 * Jeff Krogh, racing driver * Mark Krogh, racing driver

References

External links

City of Kamiah official website

Kamiah Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control * Cities in Idaho Cities in Lewis County, Idaho Cities in Idaho County, Idaho