Cavendish, Idaho — Prairie Above the Clearwater Canyon

Cavendish occupies upland farm country north of the Clearwater River.

The contrast with the canyon below is sharp. Grain, hay and livestock use relatively open prairie ground above, while steep slopes and winding roads define the route down toward the river.

That difference in terrain produced different communities only a few miles apart. Orofino grew where transportation followed the Clearwater; Cavendish developed where agriculture found workable plateau ground.

Small local institutions once mattered more when every trip to a larger town took longer. Improved roads reduced that isolation without changing the underlying land use.

Cavendish still belongs to the prairie above the canyon, close on a map to the river and very much its own landscape.