Biohazard and Pathogen Disinfection in Kamiah, ID

Kamiah is a city in Lewis and Idaho counties in Idaho, the largest city in Lewis County, extending only a small distance into Idaho County south of Lawyer Creek, with a population of 1,117 at the 2020 census and 535 households.

The name Kamiah is Nez Perce for many rope litters, since the Nez Perce manufactured kamia ropes in the area to fish steelhead, and according to Nez Perce tradition the Appaloosa horse was first bred in the area.

The Kamiah area has been inhabited by the Nez Perce for centuries, and 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.

Kamiah lies within the Nez Perce Indian Reservation, which the U.S. government opened for white settlement in November 1895 under a proclamation signed by President Cleveland less than two weeks earlier.

The city lies at the confluence of Lawyer Creek and the Clearwater River, with U.S. Route 12 passing through it and Idaho State Highways 64 and 162 providing additional transportation links.

Kamiah sits in a narrow valley at about 1,250 feet above sea level, while elevations of over 2,800 feet on the surrounding Camas Prairie lie within three miles of the city.

In the 2020 census, the median age in Kamiah was 50.1 years, 30.8 percent of residents were 65 years of age or older, and 42.8 percent of households were made up of individuals.

The city's largest employer was the Three Rivers Timber sawmill, which employed 108 people before its closure in late 2008, and after nearly two years the mill was sold and restarted in August 2010 as Blue North Forest Products.

Chief Lawyer, a Nez Perce leader, is buried at Nikesa Cemetery in East Kamiah.

Ken Hobart, a former Canadian Football League quarterback, graduated from Kamiah High School in 1979.