Camas prairie

Indian Camas (Camassia quamash)

The name camas prairie refers to several distinct geographical areas in the western United States which were named for the native perennial camassia or camas, including regions in the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Camas bulbs were an important food source for Native Americans.

Idaho

Nez Perce Chiefs 1899

History

Named for the Blue Flowering Camas—an important food source for all Native Americans in the interior Northwest—the Camas Prairie is a traditional Nez Perce gathering place.

From the Nez Perce National Historical Park: Camas Prairie is interpreted at a highway pullout on the north side of U.S. Highway 95, about 6 miles (10 km) south of Grangeville. This large prairie was a Nez Perce gathering place, where camas roots were harvested for thousands of years. Several nontreaty bands gathered at Tolo Lake in early June 1877 in anticipation of moving to the Nez Perce reservation. In response to the forced move and other hostile actions, several young Nez Perce people took actions that precipitated the Nez Perce War.

Camas Prairie is a large area, mostly privately owned, that extends many miles between the Salmon and Clearwater River drainages. Most of the area is agricultural and the northern section is within the Nez Perce Indian Reservation.

The area was home to the second subdivision of the Camas Prairie Railroad, known as the "railroad on stilts" due to its numerous trestles, most of which were timber. The 1975 film Breakheart Pass, starring Charles Bronson, was filmed on portions of the railroad on the Camas Prairie. The railroad ceased operations in the late 1990s.

For more information:

• National Park Service - Nez Perce
• U.S. Forest Service - Nez Perce

Cities

• Grangeville
• Fenn
• Cottonwood
• Ferdinand
• Craigmont
• Winchester
• Reubens

Counties

• Camas County
• Idaho County
• Lewis County

Montana

Geology

• Glacial Lake Missoula

Cities

• Camas
• Perma

Counties

• Sanders County, Montana

Oregon

Protected areas

• Camassia Natural Area in West Linn [1]

Communities

• Camas Valley, Oregon

Washington

Protected areas

• Dishman Hills Natural Resources Conservation Area in Spokane County, Washington

Cities

• Camas, Washington

See also

• Palouse prairie

External links

• WWV Railway.com - Camas Prairie Railroad - 2nd subdivision - photos
• Idaho Public TV - Camas Prairie Railroad
• Historical Museum at St. Gertrude
• Monastery of St. Gertrude
• North Central Idaho.info - visitor information
• Glacial Lake Missoula.org - Camas Prairie ripple marks in Montana