Kimama was a very small community located about 15 miles north of Paul, Idaho. Volga Germans settled in this area, taking advantage of the last remaining tracts available through the Homestead Act. Black Sea Germans also settled in this area.
Farming in this area was very difficult because of the poor soil conditions. Many homesteads were abandoned until irrigation canals from the Snake River brought water to the area.
In the early years, church services were held in local homes.
The Black Sea Germans in the area formed a congregation on 24 March 1913 which was named Salem Congregational Church. In 1925, this congregation moved into Paul, and its name was changed to Zoar Congregational Church.
A small cemetery is still located near the original Salem Congregational church site (400 West 1270 North).
The following Volga German families are known to have settled in the Kimama area:
Eichler from Dönhof
Mai from Kratzke
Steinbrecher from Dönhof
- "Our History." Paul Congregational Church website.
- Schlager, Lee Ann. The Schlager Family: From the German Colony of Makarovka, Russia (Peterson, UT: Lee Ann Schlager, 2002): 42.