Colonel William Wallace purchased an 80 acre tract of land back in 1884 along the south fork of the Coeur d’Alene River. Over the next few years, several major silver deposits were discovered in the surrounding hills and a town grew up around Wallace’s cabin. By 1887, the railroad had made its way into Wallace and the town would grow even bigger. A fire in 1890 would burn much of the town and wooden buildings were rebuilt in brick. Despite this, Wallace would burn again in 1910 in what would come to be known as the “Big Burn”, one of the largest forest fires in American history. Wallace rebuilt again and the silver in the hills kept the town alive. The mines would thrive until after World War II and then slowly began to close. Today, Wallace’s population hovers around 800, with tourism being the town’s major industry. Wallace is the only town which is included, in its entirety, on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s a wonderful place to wander through with lots of old buildings, bars, hotels and restaurants. The historic Oasis Bordello Museum tells the story of Wallace’s storied red light district which lasted into the 1990s. Besides the history of the town, the area surrounding it is full of hiking and biking trails, ski slopes and a plethora of other outdoor activities. I first came to Wallace over 20 years ago and every time I return it makes me smile. It’s just a lovely little town, well preserved and open for business. I hope you enjoy these photos from fabulous Wallace, Idaho - small town perfection in Idaho’s Silver Valley.
Hello Everyone,
Greetings from Big Sky Country. It is wonderful to be back in the Rocky Mountains. I have just gotten to Montana and am really looking forward to my pending exploration of this fascinating and beautiful part of the country. This last week brought me north through the Idaho panhandle, where I explore some beautiful lakes and cute little towns along the way. I got a couple of short hikes in and have had some time to relax and catch up with a friend as well. It’s been overcast and drizzly for most of the week, but it has cooled off significantly, so I’m not going to complain. I would have loved to have taken my photos of some of these towns under blue skies, but I’ve been enjoying them nonetheless. Before I tell you what’s to come here in Montana, let me tell you what I got into with my last few days in Idaho.
After finishing up this post last week, I went out and took a walk around downtown Pullman, Washington. There was a cool old train depot, some nice bridges and a fabulous used bookstore which is one of my weaknesses. I also went up to see an old pioneer cemetery in town which had graves from the 1890s and was hidden away in a residential neighborhood. I crossed back into Idaho and took a stroll around Moscow as well before hitting the road north.
I dropped into a little town called Potlatch to see their historic train depot and then continued north to Saint Maries, a cute little town sitting at the confluence of the Saint Joe River and the Saint Maries River. The town was named by the locally famous Jesuit missionary Father Pierre DeSmet during the 1840s.
