Skip to main content

If you like history, Wallace has some stories to tell you.

In and around Wallace you’ll find plenty of historic facts, artifacts, buildings and maybe even an old timer that has a tall tale or two. Wallace’s rich history includes presidents, bombings, hookers and so much more. You won’t find another town with a rich history like Wallace’s.

The History of Wallace

Danger, intrigue, passion, great wealth, heroics and comedy are set against the breathtaking backdrop of northern Idaho’s Bitterroot mountains. Those are the elements of the 14 decade story of Wallace. The entire town of Wallace, Idaho is on the national Historic Register.
A true, old west, mining town that still prospers today; the town of Wallace traces its roots back to 1884 when Colonel William R. Wallace purchased 80 acres of land and built his cabin in the area that became the site of the present city. Colonel Wallace is rumored to have made the land purchase with Sioux Scrip (which was later declared not to be valid currency) resulting in property disputes that continued for years.
Like other early settlers, he was drawn to the area by the rich deposits of silver, gold, and other metals in the surrounding mountains. His wife, Lucy, joined him in 1885 and became the first postmistress in town. By 1887, downtown businesses were established and mining claims dotted the hillsides. The railroad came to town and the first Wallace depot was built that same year.
By the early 1890s, Wallace was a prosperous town filled with immigrant miners from all over the world. In 1890, a fire that started in the Central Hotel burned much of the wooden buildings in the downtown business district. They were replaced with brick buildings, most of which still stand today.

The Big Burn

In 1910, the largest forest fire in U.S. history, the Big Burn, swept through the Wallace area destroying one third of downtown. A giant wall of flames raced over the mountains consuming all in its path with a thunderous roar like 100 trains going across 100 steel trestles according to one eyewitness account. One of the best known big stories involved Wallace resident and forest ranger, “Big Ed” Pulaski. Pulaski, also the inventor of a combination ax and hoe that bears his name and is used today throughout the world, saved 38 men by guiding them to safety in a mine tunnel south of town and holding the frantic workers there at gunpoint until the fire passed.
Wallace had had several brushes with fame over the years. President Teddy Roosevelt made a stop in Wallace in 1903 giving a speech from the historic train station. Movie actress Lana Turner, grew up in this rough and tumble town before being “discovered” in Hollywood. Movies such as “Tornado”, “Heaven’s Gate”, and “Dante’s Peak” have been filmed against the beautiful backdrop of downtown Wallace and the surrounding forests.

Wallace Today

Today, Wallace is a tourist Mecca. The world is drawn to this area by the towering mountains, beautiful forests, sparkling streams, and world class attractions. Just east of town is the Lookout Pass recreation area which averages over 400 inches of light fluffy powder on the ski runs every year. South and East of Wallace is the world famous Route of the Hiawatha. This 15 mile section of former railway is widely recognized as the most scenic hiking and biking trail in the USA. Silver Mountain Resort with a waterpark and gondolas to the ski mountain lies only 20 minutes to the west.
Wallace also has the notable distinction of being officially declared the Center of the Universe. The mayor of Wallace officially proclaimed it so in 2004 after finding that the EPA followed logic along the lines of “if something can’t be disproven, it must be true”. Since it can’t be disproven that Wallace is the center of the universe, it follows that it most certainly must be and this fact is recognized at the exact center – a manhole cover on Main Street.
Incredible history meets incredible beauty in this town. Surrounded by towering mountains, thick with pines and huckleberry bushes and crisscrossed with trails waiting to be explored, our warm and friendly residents are proud to welcome you to historic Wallace. You’re invited to tap into a motherlode of historic attractions that will captivate your imagination, thrill your senses, and transport you back to the days of the wild west (which lasted much longer around Wallace than most places). Enjoy truly unique museums and historical sites that tell the stories of the railroaders, miners, working class heroes, and even “working girls” that carved this beautiful gem of a town from the Bitterroot mountains.

Take a walk through Historic Wallace!

Click the button to view the walking tour guide.

No Records Found

Sorry, no records were found. Please adjust your search criteria and try again.

Google Map Not Loaded

Sorry, unable to load Google Maps API.

    • mining museum front 768x416

    Wallace District Mining Museum

    • 313424641 5758465937543083 8018179663789647354 n 768x363

    Historic Wallace Chamber of Commerce

    • Center of universe original from Shauna 2 768x718

    Center of the Universe, Wallace Idaho

  • Wallace Freemasons

    • MHE park 768x345

    Mine Heritage Exhibition

    • old mission

    Coeur d’Alene Old Mission State Park

    • eyJidWNrZXQiOiJhc3NldHMuYWxsdHJhaWxzLmNvbSIsImtleSI6InVwbG9hZHMvcGhvdG8vaW1hZ2UvNjAyNDk4NTAvYmMyMmI0MDhiNzk1MzVlZjczMjgwNWVmMTMxNDg5MDIuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsidG9Gb3JtYXQiOiJqcGVnIiwicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIj 768x1024

    The Pulaski Tunnel Trail – Idaho Panhandle National Forest

    • 98195097 3158518050878380 6414652347997224960 o 768x450

    Historic Wallace Preservation Society

    • bigpic sixthstreet

    Barnard-Stockbridge Museum

    • oasis bordello museum 56 768x404

    Oasis Bordello Museum

    • IMG 0072.JPG.opt421x314o00s421x314

    Northern Pacific Depot Museum

    • bigpic sixthstreet

    Barnard-Stockbridge Museum

    • silver mountain

    Silver Mountain Resort

    • 115992025 820704475129407 5600539536231187563 n

    Silver Streak Zipline Tours

    • 313424641 5758465937543083 8018179663789647354 n 768x363

    Historic Wallace Chamber of Commerce

    • 274064427 110316174911686 3858861639069142326 n ye old skate shop

    Q’s Haircuts & Ye Olde Skate Shop

    • 331128180 872803620663097 1621795957195312738 n 768x576

    Pressed On Pine

    • Screen Shot 2020 08 18 at 3.23.33 PM

    Crystal Gold Mine Tours

    • mining museum front 768x416

    Wallace District Mining Museum

    • trading co. 768x555

    North Idaho Trading Co.

    • eyJidWNrZXQiOiJhc3NldHMuYWxsdHJhaWxzLmNvbSIsImtleSI6InVwbG9hZHMvcGhvdG8vaW1hZ2UvNjAyNDk4NTAvYmMyMmI0MDhiNzk1MzVlZjczMjgwNWVmMTMxNDg5MDIuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsidG9Gb3JtYXQiOiJqcGVnIiwicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIj 768x1024

    The Pulaski Tunnel Trail – Idaho Panhandle National Forest

    • Johnson Feature 768x255

    Johnson’s Gems & Collectibles

    • 311515 253773958072685 1266007918 n 768x576

    Friends of the Coeur d’Alene Trails

    • 69182127 1338772952962690 940103637412085760 o 768x576

    Wallace Elks Lodge #331

    • Moon Pass Road - Photo Credit Leah Wilson

    Moon Pass Road

    • 83024280 2695056237239943 4536693445602836480 o 768x768

    North Idaho Mountain Brewery

    • 422210992 1084900389132345 2376901492679156555 n 768x946

    Wallace Brewing Co & Orehouse Tasting Room

    • 100626057 10157467001092684 2491310881149812736 o 768x512

    Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area. Route of the Hiawatha

    • 356809121 296387462826675 7499728601667162453 n 768x946

    Friends of the River Coalition (F.O.R.C)

    • 98195097 3158518050878380 6414652347997224960 o 768x450

    Historic Wallace Preservation Society

    • 29792925 10155398525262314 267966751983675704 n 1 768x510

    Sixth Street Theatre & Melodrama

    • 336037562 1637839423348759 7180015499716870368 n 768x358

    North Idaho Unique Creations

    • rsh 500cg true 768x431

    Shoshone County Mining and Smelting Museum – Staff House Museum

    • old mission

    Coeur d’Alene Old Mission State Park

    • IMG 0072.JPG.opt421x314o00s421x314

    Northern Pacific Depot Museum

  • Wallace Freemasons

    • Center of universe original from Shauna 2 768x718

    Center of the Universe, Wallace Idaho

    • 93418541 10156686194815881 1113874088608137216 o 768x377

    Ride the Hiawatha

    • library 768x512

    Wallace Public Carnegie Library

    • MHE park 768x345

    Mine Heritage Exhibition

    • 4e3dae6107d20d36947a322c77830dcf

    Crystal Gold Mine & RV Park

    • sliderimage2

    Sierra Silver Mine Tour

    • 294551908 450645620409743 8138653400833627244 n

    The Woodland Market & DIY Studio

    • oasis bordello museum 56 768x404

    Oasis Bordello Museum

    • 2020outsidegallery orig 768x432

    EurekaSallyGallery of Art and Chocolate

    • HUCK CENTER 2

    Huckleberry Festival & 5k Fun Run (Historic Wallace Marketing Group, Inc.)

    • 20240126 010844 0000 002

    Wallace Blues Festival – (Wallace District Arts Council)