Rick Just
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Author
  • Speaker
  • Contact
  • Subscriptions
  • Heroes & Villains

Idaho Asbestos

9/21/2023

Comments

 
Asbestos is so beneficial. It has been used in fireproofing, brakes, numerous building materials, pottery, and even toothpaste, the latter for its abrasive quality. Too bad it is also deadly. The effects of inhaling microscopic asbestos fibers became widely known in the 1970s. Bans on its use in the United States followed. The rest of the world is still catching up. More than 100,000 people still die from asbestosis, the lung disease causes by inhaling asbestos, each year.
 
At this point, you might be wondering why an Idaho history blogger even brings this up. Perhaps because of asbestos mining in Idaho? One area where the mineral was mined for several years came across my radar recently. Kamiah was the home to asbestos mining on and off from about 1910 into the mid-20s. The mineral mined there was often used in fireproof bricks, some of which were manufactured in the valley. The companies running the mines kept going bust, one after another, so it never became a steady industry.
 
A related product was called “Kamiah Clay” and later “Medica.” It was used in a variety of products from tooth powder to soaps. It was said to have medicinal properties. The Kernex Medical Earth Company, headquartered in Walla Walla, had a lease from the State of Idaho on 480 acres across the river from Kamiah.
 
The mining of asbestos ceased about the time of the Great Depression.

Picture
Here, you can clearly see the long fibrous crystals that make up asbestos.
Speaking of Idaho history posts are copyright © 2020 by Rick Just. Sharing is encouraged. If you don’t find a button that lets you do that, find the post on Speaking of Idaho. If you’re missing my daily posts, select the RSS button, or select See it First under the Facebook Following tab.
Comments
    Picture
    The first book in the Speaking of Idaho series is out. Ask for it at your local Idaho bookstore, find it on Amazon, or, if you want a signed copy, click the button.
    Picture
    The second book in the Speaking of Idaho series is out. Ask for it at your local Idaho bookstore, find it on Amazon, or, if you want a signed copy, click the button.
    Picture
    Rick's book about Fearless Farris is available on Amazon! Click the picture above to be taken to Amazon. If you'd like an autographed copy, click the button below.

    Author, Speaker

    Rick Just has been writing about Idaho history since 1989 when he wrote and recorded scripts for the Idaho Centennial Commission’s daily radio program, Idaho Snapshots. One of his Idaho books explores the history of Idaho's state parks: Images of America, Idaho State Parks. Rick also writes a regular column for Boise Weekly.

    Rick does public presentations on Idaho's state park history and the history of the Morrisite war for the Idaho Humanities Council's Speakers Bureau.idahohumanities.org/programs/inquiring-idaho/
    ​


    Check out Rick's history of Idaho State Parks.

    The audio link below is to Rick's Story Story Night set called "Someplace Not Firth"

    RSS Feed

Speaking of Idaho history posts are copyright © 2025 by Rick Just. Sharing is encouraged. If you’re missing my daily posts, select the RSS button, or select See it First under the Facebook Following tab.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you follow a link (generally to a book) from my page to an Amazon page, I get a tiny percentage of any purchase you may make.