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B+History
History · Kamiah

Kamiah’s post office opened in 1894, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 73% of U.S. towns. What drives it

4 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1914 on, and the census since 1910.

1894first post office
4on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Kamiah’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Kamiah began

When was Kamiah founded?

1894

The Kamiah post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 324 in 19102020 census: 1,117132 years

How historic is Kamiah?

B+

More historic than 73% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Kamiah post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Kamiah’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kamiah is more historic than 73% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Kamiah’s overall grade.
Founding era1894, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194025.0% of homes (±8.6) · typical ID town 8.5% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register4 listings, 36.9 per 10,000 residents · typical ID town 8.4 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 73%
NewerOlder

Idaho towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Idaho town has 8.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Kamiah’s 36.9 sits above most of its state (82% of Idaho towns have fewer) while its 4 listings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.6 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Kamiah’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Landmarks on the Register4 places on the National Register.Old housesHalf of Kamiah’s homes were built before 1961.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Kamiah’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Kamiah’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewWheat elevator and sack warehouse. Kami…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

4 historic places in Kamiah

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
4
each building in a district counts
first listed
1976
First Presbyterian Church
State Bank of Kamiah, built 1919James F. Bridwell House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Gothic Revival1
Colonial Revival1
First Presbyterian ChurchGothic Revival
Sue McBeth CabinBuilding
State Bank of KamiahBuilt 1919
James F. Bridwell HouseColonial Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Kamiah came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Kamiah.

Read it all →

The Kamiah area has been inhabited by the Nez Perce for centuries. The name "Kamiah" is Nez Perce for "many rope litters," as Nez Perce manufactured "Kamia" ropes in the area to fish steelhead. 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 camped in the Kamiah area for several weeks during the spring of 1806, waiting for snows to melt.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Kamiah, 1894 to 1972

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1894Post officeThe Kamiah post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1919BuiltState Bank of Kamiah is built
  5. 1941In the archiveWheat elevator and sack warehouse. Kamiah, Idaho
  6. 1950In the archiveKamiah, Idaho (circa 1950)
  7. 1961Born hereKen Hobart is born here
  8. 1967On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1972Born hereJeff Krogh is born here
By decade

Kamiah, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1940s to the 1950s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s–1950s2 items
Wheat elevator and sack warehouse. Kamiah, Idaho1941Wheat elevator and sack warehouse. Kamiah, IdahoKamiah, Idaho (circa 1950)c. 1950Kamiah, Idaho (circa 1950)
1960s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today17 recent
Rawson-Works Lumber Company's Planing Mill, circa 1920s2023Rawson-Works Lumber Company's Planing Mill, circa 192…PostcardPanoramic View, circa 1960s2021Panoramic View, circa 1960sPostcardAlong the Clearwater River, 19762021Along the Clearwater River, 1976PostcardKamiah Valley, Beauty Spot of Idaho, circa 1930s2018Kamiah Valley, Beauty Spot of Idaho, circa 1930sPostcardKamiah Bridge Over Clearwater River, 19132018Kamiah Bridge Over Clearwater River, 1913PostcardClearwater River on Lewis and Clark Highway, circa 1930s2018Clearwater River on Lewis and Clark Highway, circa 19…PostcardBridge Across the Middle Fork River, circa 1930s2018Bridge Across the Middle Fork River, circa 1930sPostcardBridwell House NRHP 88001446 Lewis County, ID2017Bridwell House NRHP 88001446 Lewis County, IDPanoramic View, circa 1930s2017Panoramic View, circa 1930sPostcardBird's Eye View, 19112017Bird's Eye View, 1911PostcardState Bank of Kamiah2015State Bank of KamiahRawson Lumber Company, circa 19102015Rawson Lumber Company, circa 1910PostcardKamiah Public School, 19112015Kamiah Public School, 1911PostcardPanoramic View, circa 19552014Panoramic View, circa 1955PostcardIn the Clearwater Valley, circa 19502014In the Clearwater Valley, circa 1950PostcardKamiah, Idaho2012Kamiah, IdahoIDMap-doton-Kamiah2004IDMap-doton-Kamiah
On the map

Kamiah on the map, 1967 to 1979

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Kamiah. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Kamiah on the 1967 USGS mapKamiah on the 1979 USGS map1967Kamiah sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Kamiah.

Every building

Kamiah, building by building, 1914–1929

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Kamiah fire insurance map, 1914, sheet 11914Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Wheat elevator and sack warehouse. Kamiah, Idaho
Retake this viewWheat elevator and sack warehouse. Kamiah, Idaho, 1941

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Kamiah’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Kamiah, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,600192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,478

Between 324 and 1,478 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Kamiah’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Kamiah

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
J
Jeff KroghAmerican race car driver · b. 1972
K
Ken HobartPlayer of American and Canadian football · b. 1961

Questions about Kamiah’s history

What year was Kamiah founded?

The Kamiah post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Kamiah rank for history?

Kamiah is more historic than 73% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Kamiah?

4 listings: 4 buildings, among them the First Presbyterian Church (listed 1976, the first).

How old are the homes in Kamiah?

25% of Kamiah’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.6 points), against a typical 8.5% for an Idaho town; the median home was built in 1961.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (18), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.