Fairfield, ID

Fairfield is the county seat and only incorporated city in Camas County, set on the high Camas Prairie with the Soldier Mountains rising to the north. The town grew from the railroad community of New Soldier, which replaced the earlier settlement of Soldier after the rail line bypassed it. County offices, farms, ranches, and the old depot all point to Fairfield's role as the place where a very rural county handles its business. The old depot and county courthouse remain reminders of how rail and government arrived together.

ATTRJosh Parrish from Bellingham, WA, USA / CC BY 2.0

The Soldier Mountains bring a different kind of traffic. Soldier Mountain ski area opened in 1948, and the slopes, trails, and Sawtooth National Forest give Fairfield a seasonal connection to outdoor recreation. Camas County School District 121 is headquartered in town, with Camas County High School on Soldier Road. The county's name comes from camas, a native plant with an edible bulb, and that detail fits the broader landscape: agriculture, mountain weather, open prairie, and long roads between small communities.