Stites, Idaho — Where the Prairie Route Entered the Mountains

Stites sits near the South Fork Clearwater River at the point where travel from the Camas Prairie begins committing itself to mountain country.

Rail service reached the community in the early twentieth century, making Stites a transfer point for timber, mining supplies and agricultural goods moving between uplands and river valleys.

Logging became especially important as roads penetrated farther into the Clearwater Mountains.

The railroad eventually disappeared, replaced by trucks and highways, but the transportation logic remained.

Stites is still a gateway toward Elk City and remote country beyond.

The tracks are gone. The road starts climbing in almost exactly the same place.