Camas County

Camas County, the 39th county created in the state of Idaho, was established on February 6, 1917, with its county seat at Fairfield. It was named for a plant found in this area which resembles a lily and has an edible root. It was used as a staple food by Indian and hog fodder by settlers.

Return to County Profiles Main Page, or page to next county, Canyon.

County statistics:

County Seat: Fairfield
Population: 1,013

Borders: Blaine, Elmore, Gooding and Lincoln counties

What To See And Do:

Camas Prairie is a high plateau valley with an average elevation of 5,000 feet.  It is home to many types of wildlife; antelope, deer and other animals roam freely across the prairie.  At the west end of Camas County is the Centennial Marsh, which attracts a wide variety of waterfowl and shorebird.  Spring is the best time to bird watch.

Goodale's Cutoff was a heavily-used emigrant trail from the 1850s, and formed a spur of the Oregon Trail.  It runs the length of the Camas Prairie.  It was used primarily by fur traders, but emigrant wagons traveled through it as early as 1852.  It is named for Tim Goodale, a fur trapper well known throughout the area.

John Skillern House, northwest of Fairfield, is the only building registered as a National Historic Place in Camas County.  It is an early example of the Rustic style summer residence popular at the time (1920s0).  Mrs. John Skillern designed the cabin with influences from the log hotel at Yellowstone National Park. The home is also significant for its association with the Idaho sheep industry.

Soldier Mountain Ski Resort has a base elevation of 5,752 feet with a top elevation of 7,177.  It opened as a ski resort in 1948, and now has over 15 runs that are regularly groomed during ski season.  The ski area is located 12 miles north of Fairfield and 70 miles north of Twin Falls.