Valley County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,746.^[1] The county seat is Cascade,^[2] and the largest city is McCall. Established in 1917, it was named after the Long Valley of the North Fork of the Payette River, which extends over 30 miles (50 km) from Payette Lake at McCall south to Cascade to Round Valley. The valley was formerly a summer pasture for livestock from the Boise Valley. Since the completion of the Cascade Dam in 1948, much of the northern valley has been covered by the Cascade Reservoir.

Quick Facts Country, State ...

Valley County
County
Bighorn Ram, Recycled Barbed Wire Sculpture in Cascade, Idaho
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Idaho
Idaho's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 44°44′N 115°34′W
Country	United States
State	Idaho
Founded	February 26, 1917
Named for	The Long Valley of the North Fork of the Payette River
Seat	Cascade
Largest city	McCall
Area
• Total	3,733 sq mi (9,670 km2)
• Land	3,665 sq mi (9,490 km2)
• Water	68 sq mi (180 km2)  1.8%
Population  (2020)
• Total	11,746
• Density	3.1/sq mi (1.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	co.valley.id.us

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Valley County is home to the Idaho ground squirrel.

Packer John Welch, who had contracted to freight supplies to miners of Idaho City, established a camp on Gold Fork Creek and a brush cabin on Clear Creek in the 1860s.^[3] He also established a station near what later became the town of Cascade.

During the 1870s, prospectors and miners started searching for gold. The Clara Foltz mines opened on Paddy Flat, and other diggings commenced on Boulder and Gold Fork Creeks. In the late 1870s, the last of the Sheepeater Tribe was removed from Long Valley and Round Valley to a reservation. As the gold sources dwindled, a few of the miners took up squatter's rights. James Horner built a cabin on Clear Creek in 1881, other miners settled on the Payette River.

Also in 1888, the first post offices in Valley County were opened at VanWyck, another one opened at Lardo in 1889. That same year Louis McCall and other settlers took squatter's rights on Payette Lake. Their homesteads were the nucleus of what would later become the town of McCall.^[3] A freight stop was established at Lardo to service the increased mining activity at Warren Meadows.

The 1890 census stated 538 people resided in the VanWyck precinct, and 110 resided in the Alpha precinct. Land survey maps drawn in the 1890s show four schools. The maps also point out sawmills at Warner's Pond and on Gold Fork Creek. A small reservoir near VanWyck can also be seen on them. The 1890s were a period of strife for the new settlers.^[3] Ranchers from south of Long Valley annually brought their large herds of cattle to graze in Long Valley. The homesteaders resented the intrusion and retaliated on several occasions by slaughtering the outsiders' cattle.

Gold was first discovered in the Thunder Mountain area in 1893, W.H. Dewey began mining on a large scale in 1902. As many as 3,000 miners swarmed into the region.

From the 1910s onwards, logging became, along with farming and ranching, the economic mainstay of Long Valley. Towns distant from the railroad, such as Alpha, Crawford and Roseberry, soon lost their vitality and died. Towns near the railroad, such as Cascade, Donnelly and McCall, thrived and became the population centers of Valley County.

The Stibnite Mining District, located near Yellow Pine, was critical to the country's war effort during World War II.^[4]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,733 square miles (9,670 km²), of which 3,665 square miles (9,490 km²) is land and 68 square miles (180 km²) (1.8%) is water.^[5] It is the fifth-largest county in Idaho by area.

Valley County has long been a Republican stronghold, though it currently gives Democrats larger vote shares than most of Idaho. In 2004, George Bush defeated John Kerry by a 21-point margin (59-38%), whilst in 2008, Valley County was much more competitive than in previous elections, as John McCain defeated Barack Obama by only 7 points (52-45%). Democratic strength is entirely centered around the tourist town of McCall and the surrounding area around the Payette Lake, while the rest of the county remains strongly Republican.^[8]

• Brundage Mountain (1961)
• Little Ski Hill (1937)
• Tamarack Resort (2004)

School districts include:^[21]

• Cascade School District 422
• McCall-Donnelly Joint School District 421

Residents are in the area (but not the taxation zone) for College of Western Idaho.^[22]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Valley County, Idaho