What is the history of McCall, Idaho?
Native Americans in the United StatesNative Americans were the first inhabitants of the land in and around McCall. Three tribes, the Shoshone, a sub-band of the Shoshone known as the “Sheepeaters,” and the Nez Perce, inhabited the land primarily in the summer and migrated during the harsh winter months. In the early 1800s the nomadic French Canadian fur trapper, PayetteFrançois Payette, roamed the area alongside other mountain men like Jim Bridger, Peter Skene Ogden and Jedediah Smith. During the 1860s miningminers temporarily named the settlement “Lake City”, but only alluviumalluvial gold was discovered and they moved 50 miles north to the town of Warren. The settlement of McCall was established by Thomas and Louisa McCall circa 1889-1891. For a cabin and assumed rights to the 160 acres 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 M
