McCall, Idaho was named for Tom McCall a prominent town leader who arrived in 1891 to homestead the area. McCall inhabitants were typical wild west gun-slinging mountain men typical of the era and until the early 1980's firearms were still allowed in local bars.

Mining and timber were West Central Mountain's chief industries driving rapid evolution into lively mountain towns. North of McCall, in Warren, you can still see placer mine tailings made by the more than 30,000 indentured Chinese workers.

In 1924, local resident and Olympic ski champion Cory Engen, together with a group of volunteers, founded Winter Carnival. They created ice sculptures and organized dog sled races commemorating the sled dogs used to carry the U.S. mail when snow was too deep to use horses. The first races were held between Lardo and McCall on a mile-long course. The name “Lardo” was created when a large wagon carrying lard and flour accidentally overturned into the Payette River thereby creating “lard - dough.” There is a popular local establishment on the site that still bears the name.