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Benewah County is a rural
county located in northern Idaho with a population of
approximately 9,200. It is primarily a natural resource based
economy with timber as the major industry. The county seat is the
city of St. Maries which is located at the confluence of the St.
Joe and St. Maries Rivers at the southern edge of Lake Coeur
d’Alene.
Land ownership is 79%
private (including large timber companies
and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe), 11% Federal
lands, and 10% State lands. The forest lands
make up 75% of the land in Benewah County
and agriculture lands are nearly 16%. There
are just over 200 farms in the county with
the largest commodity being wheat. Other
crops grown include barley, bluegrass, peas
& lentils.
Half the county is within
the boundaries of Coeur d’Alene Indian
Tribal Lands and Tribal headquarters are
located in the town of Plummer. Benewah
County is a wealth of outdoor recreational
activities all year long. There are many
excellent boating, and fly fishing
opportunities as well as hiking, mountain
biking, and horse back riding in summer
months. Winter recreation includes
snowmobiling, cross country skiing, and
downhill skiing opportunities in neighboring
counties.
Throughout the year there are excellent
hunting opportunities for many types of game
from birds to big game such as elk and
moose.
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