Clearwater

Formed February 27, 1911 (25^th county)

Clearwater County (8,731), Orofino (3,227)

The Federalist style dark red brick courthouse for Clearwater County was built in 1928.  It is located on Michigan Avenue at Johnson Street.  Idaho State Highway 7 is Michigan Avenue.  Charles I. Carpenter is the building architect.  The courthouse was enlarged in 1976.  The county was established on February 27, 1911 as the 25^th county with Orofino as the only county seat.  It is named for the Clearwater River.  The county seat came for a local creek which was named for the “fine gold” discovered there. 

Clearwater County government consists of a sheriff, a prosecuter, a coroner, a clerk, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Six Circuit Court Judges and a Magistrate Court Judge serve Clearwater, Idaho, Latah, Lewis, and Nez Perce counties (judicial.) The county is in northern Idaho on the border with Montana.  Various forks of the Clearwater River flow through the county.  The county center is 58.3 miles East-Northeast of Orofino nearer Headquarters.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Shoshone County and Montana and Idaho, Lewis, Nez Perce, and Latah counties. 

The area of the county is 2462 square miles.  It is 10 out of 44 in the state.  It ranks 31 out of 44 in population in the state.  It has a density of 3.5 persons per square mile making it 35 out of 44 in the state.  Clearwater County has 48.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 12 enters from Nez Perce County to the west and exits into Lewis County to the south.  The county is shaped like a fat hatchet facing down.  Orofino is in the extreme southwest part of the county.  Orofino is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 37.0% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced OR-OE-FIE-NOE.

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