McCall Idaho City Information

Local History

McCall is located on the south shore of Payette Lake at the bottom of a large mountain valley. The Payette River runs down the middle of this valley, referred to as Long Valley and feeds Payette Lake, Little Payette Lake and the Cascade Reservoir within the valley along with a multitude of small creeks coming off the mountains. McCall's history is part of the overall history of Valley County and Southwest Idaho. The Lewis and Clark Expedition came through the Boise area in about 1805 following the Snake River, the fur trappers followed about 6 years later traveling up the various rivers flowing into the larger valley, including the Payette River. The primary fur was the beaver which was almost harvested into extinction by 1840.

From about 1845-1862 the Boise Valley received about 250,000 settlers passing through on the Oregon Trail on their way to the Oregon Country to the west. Very few stopped in the lower valley and none in the mountain regions. In 1862 gold was discovered in the mountains above Boise including the McCall area and the whole area sprang to life. In the 1860's, the first miners in the area named the McCall location, Lake City. Because there was little gold discovered near McCall the small mining settlement was moved about 50 miles north and started the Warren Settlement. The first permanent settlement was started by Thomas and Louisa McCall in about 1889 on about 160 acres. Thomas established a school, hotel, saloon and post office and named himself postmaster. A few years later he purchased a sawmill from the Warren Dredging company which came out of the Warren gold mining settlement area and then later sold it to the Hoff & Brown Lumber company. The milling of lumber continued from that time until 1977 when it was closed. From the beginning of Thomas McCall's settlement, this location was used for recreational activities that ranged from sailboat rides, swimming, saloons, whorehouses etc. that primarily serviced the miners and lumbermen that were passing in and out of the area.

As early as 1907 the location began to attract permanent settlers out of the Boise Valley for recreational purposes. That was amplified after the arrival of a railroad spur in 1914. In 1917, McCall was incorporated into as a village. In the 1920’s the state land board started leasing home sites along the lake front. Along with and in contrast to the mining and timber community, came settlers into the area, primarily for ranching. The first of this group was a large contingent of Finnish settlers that arrived in the 1880's and set up a small village called Roseberry. This was a religiously conservative group that banned lewd and indecent resorts and intoxicating drinks in contrast to the lumber and mining community that promoted such activities. This diverse mix of local citizenry continues today and is part of the rich history of McCall. In more recent times McCall continued to grow as a resort location for both summer and winter activities. About half the homes in McCall are 2nd homes for people living elsewhere, who use the location for vacations, recreation etc. The community has a high percentage of retired and older people attracted to the location because of its mountain beauty, the crystal lake and unique lifestyle environment. Most of these people come out of the Boise Valley below. The closing of the saw mill in 1977 did not slow the growth of the area but did effect the population demographics, with blue collar workers transitioning into service jobs and or migrating toward Boise where labor has been in good demand. McCall could be considered part of the Boise Metro area that now has the greatest concentration of people between Salt Lake City Utah and Portland Oregon at about 588,000. Boise and the surrounding areas have also become a hub for transportation and storage, higher education, communication call centers, medical services and most other major demographic factors that allow clean and sustained growth.

Whatever your reasons for coming to McCall, it can be considered a good choice and one of the positive puzzle pieces that make up the "Treasure Valley" whose real treasure has always been its people. Trust the experts at Stewart Realty, LLC to help you find your own piece of McCall Idaho real estate.

Still unsure about where you want to move? Keep reading about McCall Idaho or check out other city pages to find the area of the Treasure Valley that best fits your needs. This site also has up to date information from the Boise MLS on available homes in the area so you can find the perfect home.