McCall

History

Native Americans were the first inhabitants of the McCall area. Three tribes, the Tukudika (a sub-band of the Shoshone known as the "Sheepeaters"), the Shoshone, and the Nez Perce, inhabited the land primarily in the summer and migrated during the harsh winter months. In the early 19th century, mountain men including the nomadic French Canadian fur trapper François Payette, Jim Bridger, Peter Skene Ogden, and Jedediah Smith passed through the area. During the 1860s, miners temporarily named the settlement "Lake City", but only alluvial gold was discovered, so the temporary establishment was abandoned as most mining activity moved north to the town of Warren. The settlement of McCall was established by Thomas and Louisa McCall in 1889. For a cabin and assumed rights to the of land, they traded a team of horses with Sam Dever, who held the squatter rights. Tom, his wife, four sons and a daughter lived in the cabin located on the shore of the lake, near present-day Hotel McCall. He established a school, hotel, saloon, and post office, and named himself postmaster. McCall purchased a sawmill from the Warren Dredging company and later sold it to the Hoff & Brown Lumber Company, which would become a major employer until its closure in 1977. During this time Anneas "Jews Harp Jack" Wyatte provided the first recreational sailboat rides around the lake for tourists and advertised in Boise's Idaho Statesman a "30-foot sailing yacht for the use of parties who might visit the lake". The Statesman referred to McCall as a "pleasure resort." Tourism continued in the early 20th century. In June 1902, the Boydstun Hotel in nearby Lardo opened as a "place to stay and camp on Payette Lake". In 1906, Charlie Nelson opened a tented camping area known as Sylvan Beach Resort along the…

Geography

The town is situated on the southern shore of Payette Lake, near the center of the Payette National Forest. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Mountain Chickadee

  Poecile gambeli (Ridgway, 1886) · Aves
  3,267
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,875
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  2,844
• Steller's Jay

  Cyanocitta stelleri (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  2,688
• Red-breasted Nuthatch

  Sitta canadensis Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  2,684
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  2,357
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,331
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,272

Largest nearby schools

• MCCALL-DONNELLY HIGH SCHOOL
  High · MCCALL · 429 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• BARBARA R MORGAN ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · MCCALL · 428 students · 19.5:1 ratio
• PAYETTE LAKES MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · MCCALL · 310 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• HEARTLAND HIGH SCHOOL
  High · MCCALL · 33 students · 6.6:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.2 — 2026-09-12
  23 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
• M 3.3 — 2026-09-06
  23 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
• M 2.8 — 2026-08-12
  23 km WNW of Stanley, Idaho
• M 2.9 — 2026-06-21
  30 km N of Lowman, Idaho
• M 2.5 — 2026-06-20
  22 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
• M 2.7 — 2026-06-09
  28 km N of Lowman, Idaho