Winchester is a city in western Lewis County,

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), ...

, United States, located on the

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. ...

in the north central part of the state. The population was 356 at the 2020 census, up from 340 in 2010. Winchester Lake State Park lies south of the city.

History

Winchester 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 ...

, and 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 ...

. The city was named in 1900 during a meeting to establish a school district. While considering the possibilities, an individual looked at the stack of

Winchester rifle Winchester rifle is a comprehensive term describing a series of lever action repeating rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Developed from the 1860 Henry rifle, Winchester rifles were among the earliest repeaters. Th ...

s at the door and suggested the name, which was approved. The sawmill closed in May 1965 after the mature timber in the area had been cut. The mill was operated by

Boise Cascade Boise Cascade Company is an American manufacturer of wood products and wholesale distributor of building materials, headquartered in Boise, Idaho. with sales over $7.9 billion in 2021, it is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under th ...

for its final five years; its closure followed a fire which destroyed much of downtown Winchester in November 1964. A outside of town is Winchester Lake State Park, planned in 1966 and established in 1969. Originally it was a mill pond, created in 1910 by damming Lapwai Creek. Water quality issues at the lake were addressed with the installation of aeration units in 2002.

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 , all of it land. Winchester is located on the northern shore of Lapwai Lake at the location where Lapwai Creek emerges from the lake.

U.S. Route 95 U.S. Route 95 (US 95) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Highway in the western United States. It travels through the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho, staying inland ...

passes about a mile to the northeast of Winchester, but the town is connected to the highway by a

business route A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route that branches off a parent numbered highway at its beginning, continues through the central business district of a nearby city or to ...

of U.S. 95. It is located in the broader

region.

Climate

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 340 people, 134 households, and 84 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 167 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.1%

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 ...

, 1.2%

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 ...

, 3.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 2.4% 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 2.1% of the population. There were 134 households, of which 20.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% 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, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.3% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.75. The median age in the city was 50.4 years. 17.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.6% were from 25 to 44; 39.4% were from 45 to 64; and 21.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.1% male and 47.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 308 people, 135 households, and 88 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 158 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.81%

, 1.30% Native American, 1.30% from other races, and 2.60% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.32% of the population. There were 135 households, out of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were

living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.74. In the city, the population was spread out, with 17.5% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 37.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,250, and the median income for a family was $40,179. Males had a median income of $35,625 versus $23,125 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 $16,588. About 8.1% of families and 7.4% 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 4.8% of those under the age of eighteen and 3.8% of those 65 or over.

Transportation

Highway

US 95 U.S. Route 95 (US 95) is a major north–south United States Highway in the western United States. It travels through the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho, staying inland from the Pacific Coast. US 95 b ...

- to Lewiston (north) and Grangeville (south) The city is west of

, which connects it to Craigmont to the east and Lewiston to the northwest, via the Lapwai Canyon. Until 1960, US 95 was routed through Winchester on this spur and descended Culdesac Hill (), considered the worst of the three major grades (White Bird, Lewiston), all of which were extremely twisty. The new route through Lapwai Canyon was built in three years and reduced the distance by over and saved 25 minutes of driving time. The earlier road was completed in 1923. The first organized road race on the old road took place in 1964; among the participants in the

hill climb Hillclimbing, also known as hill climbing, speed hillclimbing, or speed hill climbing, is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course. It is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, since the firs ...

was Bob Knievel of

Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the 2 ...

, later known as

Evel Knievel Robert Craig Knievel (October 17, 1938November 30, 2007), known professionally as Evel Knievel (), was an American stunt performer and entertainer. Throughout his career, he attempted List of Evel Knievel career jumps, more than 75 ramp-to-ra ...

. The timber trestles of the former

Camas Prairie Railroad Camas Prairie Railroad Company was a short line railroad in northern Idaho jointly owned and operated by Northern Pacific Railway and Union Pacific. Parts of the former railroad are now operated by the Great Northwest Railroad and the BG&CM Rai ...

are visible throughout the area.

Education

The public schools are in Craigmont, operated by the Highland Joint School District #305, led by Highland High School. The consolidated district was formed in 1962; prior to that Winchester had its own schools and the high school's mascot was a logger.

In popular culture

In the television series ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American Western (genre), Western anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was ...

'', the episode “The Thirty-Caliber Town” dramatized how Winchester rifles gave the town its name. An epilogue featuring host Robert Taylor and Lester Shadduck, the mayor of Winchester, was shot on location in 1967.