Camas is the lily-like plant found in the area with an edible bulb which was one of the staples eaten by the settlers and hence when the county was formed around 1917 it came to be known by that name. Fairfield is the only city in the county. Six years prior to this the Oregon Short Line railroad came through Fairfield and the the terminus of the railroad, Hill City, became the largest shipper of sheep in the world. The railroad continued in service for another 70 years and is commemorated by the museum in the Railroad Depot and Museum building in Fairfield. Many of the items which were used throughout this era still remain in the building. From the 1880’s on a series of rural schools were built to serve the settlements around the county, until the 1940’s when they were incorporated into the Fairfield school system. Fairfield is fortunate to have a low population density in a county which is probably the least dense of all counties in Idaho. Not forgetting that this is cowboy country; the Camas County rodeo with all its excitement comes to Fairfield in July.