Wallace, Idaho

Tour the town of Wallace to learn about its incredible mining heritage and how it became listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In the “Sliver Capital of the World,” around 1.2 billion ounces of silver has been produced in the Shoshone County since 1884. Outstanding recreation, distinctive scenery and a welcoming community make Wallace the perfect place to vacation.

While silver mining is still a large part of the Wallace community, visitors are attracted by the pristine outdoor recreation that can be found at the ski resorts or Hiawatha Bike Trail. The Alpine Lake scenery sets the tone in Wallace as a all season recreation getaway.

Incorporated in 1888, the entire business district burned down in 1890 because of a faulty flue on one of the hotels. Merchants immediately rebuilt their town, using a lot of brick.

Tragedy struck again when, for two terrifying days and nights
in August of 1910, fire raged across three million acres of virgin timberland in northern Idaho and western Montana. They called it the Great Idaho Fire. It claimed the lives of 86 people and destroyed about 100 buildings at the east end of Wallace.

http://wallace-id.com/

The Wallace District Mining Museum, the Northern Pacific
Depot Railroad Museum and the Oasis Bordello Museum.

The Silver Valley is the richest primary silver producing mining region in the world. As the center of the mining district and a hub of commerce, Wallace earned the title of the Silver Capital of the World. In just one hundred twenty-five years, over 1.2 BILLION Troy ounces of silver have been produced from mines in this valley, along with 8.4 million tons of lead and 3.3 million tons of zinc. More than five hundred thousand Troy ounces of gold and over two hundred thousand tons of copper have been produced from these mines as well. At the beginning of 2010, about 700 people work in Silver Valley mines, where another billion ounces of silver waits to be extracted from thousands of feet below the surface.

The elegant chateau styled depot, which houses the two story museum, was built at the turn of the century with unique brick transported from China and concrete panels made from mine tailings. Railroads have been an integral part of the mining district since 1887. In 1976, while still in business as a railroad station, the depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A decade later, after the station closed, it was moved 200 feet to make way for the completion of Interstate 90. The celebrated move, rehabilitation and conversion to a museum cost nearly two-thirds of a million dollars.

The Oasis brothel remained in operation right up until 1988, fifteen years after brothels had been proclaimed illegal in the state. The ladies reportedly got advance word of a raid and left in a hurry. The rooms have been preserved as they were in those final moments, right down to the magazines on the tables and a drawer full of wind-up timer clocks in the kitchen.