Welcome

About Clearwater County

Clearwater County was established February 27, 1911, and was named for the Clearwater River whose name was translated from the Nez Perce term, Koos-Koos-Kia, meaning "clear water". In September 1805, Lewis and Clark followed an old Indian trail between the north and middle forks of the Clearwater River and met the Nez Perce near the present site of Weippe. Although no doubt known to the Nez Perce Indians for many years, gold was first "discovered" in 1860 by Elias D. Pierce and Wilbur F. Bassett along a creek christened "Oro Fino Creek" meaning "fine gold". The Pierce Courthouse, erected in 1862, is Idaho's oldest public building.

About the County Coordinator

I am your new County Coordinator, Jill Nock. If you have any questions about the county or would like to help add to the website. You can contact me at . I am in the middle of updating these pages and adding new content. Please be patient with me in doing so. Thank you.

About the County

Clearwater County is located in the panhandle of Idaho along the Montana border. Cities include: Elk River, Orofino, Pierce, and Weippe. Unincorporated communities include: Ahsahka, Cavendish, Greer, and Headquarters.

County Seat: Orofino
County Clerk
Box 586
Orofino, ID 83544-0586
Phone: (208) 476-5615
Fax: (208) 476-9315

Neighboring Counties

Shoshone county is located north side of Clearwater county. While on the west side there are three counties: Latah, Nez Perce, and Lewis counties. On the south side is Idaho county. On the east side is the state of Montana with Mineral and Missoula counties at the border.

Clearwater County Links

Onsite Links	Offsite Links
Addresses Cemeteries Census Links Churches ISHS Records on Film Land & Treaty Records Lookup Volunteers Mailing List Map Links Marriages Photos Surnames	Clearwater County Historical Society/ Museum Clearwater County Libraries Clearwater County WWI Draft Registrations Clearwater Tribune Newspaper Ghost Towns of Clearwater County Historical Places in Clearwater County How to Obtain Idaho Vital Records Idaho State Death Index 1911-1951 IDGenWeb Archives Project Nez Perce National Historic Trail

Copyright Notice

All materials contained on these pages are furnished for the free use of those engaged in researching their family origins. Any commercial use or distribution, without the consent of the host/author of these pages is prohibited. All images used on these pages were obtained from sources permitting free distribution, or generated by the author, and are subject to the same restrictions/permissions. All persons contributing material for posting on these pages do so in recognition of their free, non-commercial distribution, and further, is responsible to assure that no copyright is violated by their submission.