Craigmont, Idaho facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Craigmont, Idaho
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Location of Craigmont in Lewis County, Idaho.
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| Country | United States |
| State | Idaho |
| County | Lewis |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.78 sq mi (2.02 km2) |
| • Land | 0.78 sq mi (2.01 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,747 ft (1,142 m) |
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 501 |
| • Density | 629.34/sq mi (242.86/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code |
83523
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| Area code(s) | 208 |
| FIPS code | 16-19270 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2410256 |
Craigmont is a small city in the northwest part of the United States. You can find it in Lewis County, Idaho. It sits on a beautiful area called the Camas Prairie in north central Idaho. This city is also located within the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. In 2010, about 501 people lived there.
Contents
History of Craigmont
The city of Craigmont is named after a man named Colonel William Craig. He was a mountain man, which means he explored and lived in the wilderness. William Craig lived from 1809 to 1869. He married a woman from the Nez Perce people.
In 1840, Colonel Craig stopped being a fur trapper. The market for beaver fur had collapsed. He then settled near Lapwai, close to his father-in-law.
How Craigmont Got Its Name
The Nez Perce Reservation was opened for white settlers in 1895. A town called "Chicago" was started in 1898. It was about a mile west of where Craigmont is today.
But the people in "Chicago" had trouble getting their mail. So, in 1902, they changed the town's name to "Ilo." This new name honored Ilo Leggett, the daughter of the town's founder, W.O. Leggett.
In 1904, a fire burned down the town of Ilo. Soon after, the Camas Prairie Railroad built its tracks around the town. A new settlement was started on the other side of the tracks. A man named John P. Vollmer planned this new area and called it "Vollmer."
The people of Ilo moved their community to be next to Vollmer. For ten years, the two towns had a bit of a rivalry. But in 1920, their school districts joined together. After that, the communities merged and became one city: Craigmont.
Geography and Climate
Craigmont is located on the Camas Prairie. It is also within the Nez Perce Indian Reservation.
The city covers about 0.76 square miles (2.0 square kilometers) of land. There is no water area within the city limits.
Craigmont's Climate
The weather in Craigmont usually has mild changes between high and low temperatures. It also gets enough rain throughout the year. According to climate experts, Craigmont has a humid continental climate. This means it has warm summers and cold, snowy winters.
| Climate data for Craigmont (1950-1996) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 55 (13) |
66 (19) |
69 (21) |
83 (28) |
89 (32) |
94 (34) |
97 (36) |
96 (36) |
95 (35) |
84 (29) |
69 (21) |
57 (14) |
97 (36) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 35 (2) |
39 (4) |
47.1 (8.4) |
54 (12) |
61.6 (16.4) |
69.1 (20.6) |
77.3 (25.2) |
78.2 (25.7) |
69.3 (20.7) |
57 (14) |
40.5 (4.7) |
33.5 (0.8) |
55.1 (12.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 20.9 (−6.2) |
21.4 (−5.9) |
27.7 (−2.4) |
32 (0) |
37.6 (3.1) |
43 (6) |
47 (8) |
46.3 (7.9) |
39.7 (4.3) |
32.9 (0.5) |
25.4 (−3.7) |
18.9 (−7.3) |
32.7 (0.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −19 (−28) |
−27 (−33) |
−2 (−19) |
17 (−8) |
23 (−5) |
29 (−2) |
31 (−1) |
26 (−3) |
19 (−7) |
10 (−12) |
−13 (−25) |
−28 (−33) |
−28 (−33) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.61 (41) |
1.48 (38) |
2.18 (55) |
2.34 (59) |
2.8 (71) |
2.07 (53) |
1.55 (39) |
1 (25) |
1.26 (32) |
1.53 (39) |
2.29 (58) |
1.46 (37) |
21.58 (548) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 14.1 (36) |
10 (25) |
8.7 (22) |
3.6 (9.1) |
0.9 (2.3) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
1.2 (3.0) |
10.6 (27) |
11.9 (30) |
61 (150) |
| Average precipitation days | 13 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 14 | 142 |
| Source: WRCC | |||||||||||||
Transportation Around Craigmont
Craigmont has important routes for both trains and cars.
Railroad History
About four miles (7 km) south of Craigmont is Lawyers Creek Canyon. This canyon has huge railroad trestles. These are like long bridges that carry train tracks high above the ground. The Camas Prairie Railroad built its tracks here in 1908. The line reached Grangeville the next year.
The biggest trestle is a massive steel bridge. It is 1,488 feet (454 meters) long. The train tracks are 287 feet (87 meters) above the creek! Today, the train line from Spalding is run by the BG&CM Railroad. It ends in Cottonwood. People stopped riding passenger trains on this line in 1955.
Lawyers Canyon is named after Chief Lawyer (1801–76). He was a Nez Perce chief. He was called "Chief Lawyer" because he was very good at dealing with the white settlers. He is buried in Kamiah.
Highways for Travel
Craigmont is connected by two main highways:
- US 95 - This highway goes north to Lewiston and Moscow. It goes south to Grangeville and Boise (by way of 
).
- SH-62 - This highway goes east to Nezperce.
Before 1991, US 95 used to go right through Craigmont as Main Street. Then it would head west towards Winchester. But in 1991, the highway was changed. Now it goes around the south side of Craigmont.
Southbound, the new route between Craigmont and Ferdinand avoids the canyon. It crosses the canyon on a 919-foot (280-meter) bridge. This bridge opened in October 1991. It passes over where an older 82-foot (25-meter) bridge used to be. After the bridge, the highway goes east of Ferdinand. This new path was finished in 1993.
If you head east from Craigmont, State Highway 62 will take you to Nezperce. Nezperce is the main town for the county.
Population of Craigmont
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 496 | — | |
| 1940 | 528 | 6.5% | |
| 1950 | 594 | 12.5% | |
| 1960 | 703 | 18.4% | |
| 1970 | 554 | −21.2% | |
| 1980 | 617 | 11.4% | |
| 1990 | 542 | −12.2% | |
| 2000 | 556 | 2.6% | |
| 2010 | 501 | −9.9% | |
| 2019 (est.) | 489 | −2.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, the city of Craigmont had 501 people living there. There were 230 households, which are groups of people living together. About 149 of these were families.
The average age of people in Craigmont in 2010 was about 49.4 years old. About 18.2% of the people were under 18 years old. Also, 19.8% of the people were 65 years old or older. The population was almost evenly split between males and females.
Education in Craigmont
Craigmont is home to Highland High School. This school usually has about 20 to 25 students in each graduating class. The school's sports teams are called the Huskies. They compete in athletics at the IHSAA Class 1A level.
The Highland Joint School District #305 was created in 1962. It includes students from Craigmont, Winchester, Melrose, and Reubens. The current school building was built in 1952.
See also
In Spanish: Craigmont (Idaho) para niños
