Discover Wallace History
The small town of Wallace, Idaho is named after a man by the name of Colonel William R. Wallace who purchased a piece of land in 1884. Drawn to this area by the deposits of silver and gold, settlers slowly began pouring in and the town began to form. Downtown business and hillside mining claims were popping up in 1887 and by the early 1890s the town of Wallace was a prospering town filled with mining immigrants from all around the world. Two fires did considerable damage to Wallace, including one in 1890 that wiped out the young town, and the largest forest fire in U.S. history- The Big Burn- which came roaring through Wallace in 1910 taking out 1/3 of the town. After the first major fire, the downtown buildings were rebuilt in brick, which helped them to withstand the next major fire.
Today the town of Wallace boasts the honor of being the only city in the nation where every single building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The town truly transports visitors back to the wild west. Many of the brick buildings that were built in 1890 still stand today, including the first two buildings to be erected -- the Wallace Corner and the historic Smokehouse building. This building is located right on the corner of what is declared to be "The Center of The Universe"- another huge attraction for visitors to Wallace. A manhole cover on Main Street distinguishes the center after being officially declared "The Probabilistic Center of The Universe" by the mayor of Wallace in 2004. The scientific principle this proclamation was based on is one that claims that if you can't prove it isn't true, then it must be true!
You will truly Discover Wallace when you see the stories of railroad workers, miners, and even the "working girls" that once lived in the same downtown that stands today. Wallace does have the distinction of maintaining a vibrant bordello district long after prostitution was banned in the United States, with the last brothel shut down in the early 1990s. Read all about it in the book "Selling Sex in the Silver Valley" by local scholar Heather Branstetter.
Historic Wallace and it's warm, friendly faces await to welcome you to the rich-in-history and ever-gorgeous Silver Valley!
Today the town of Wallace boasts the honor of being the only city in the nation where every single building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The town truly transports visitors back to the wild west. Many of the brick buildings that were built in 1890 still stand today, including the first two buildings to be erected -- the Wallace Corner and the historic Smokehouse building. This building is located right on the corner of what is declared to be "The Center of The Universe"- another huge attraction for visitors to Wallace. A manhole cover on Main Street distinguishes the center after being officially declared "The Probabilistic Center of The Universe" by the mayor of Wallace in 2004. The scientific principle this proclamation was based on is one that claims that if you can't prove it isn't true, then it must be true!
You will truly Discover Wallace when you see the stories of railroad workers, miners, and even the "working girls" that once lived in the same downtown that stands today. Wallace does have the distinction of maintaining a vibrant bordello district long after prostitution was banned in the United States, with the last brothel shut down in the early 1990s. Read all about it in the book "Selling Sex in the Silver Valley" by local scholar Heather Branstetter.
Historic Wallace and it's warm, friendly faces await to welcome you to the rich-in-history and ever-gorgeous Silver Valley!
Museums & Tours
The Depot Museum
Sixth Street
The old railroad station, preserved beautifully and full of railroad and other history. 2-stories of memorabilia in a beautiful old building.
Sixth Street
The old railroad station, preserved beautifully and full of railroad and other history. 2-stories of memorabilia in a beautiful old building.
The Mining Museum
Bank Street
Bank Street
Oasis Bordello Museum
Cedar Street
Explore Wallace's historic infamy in this brothel that is exactly how it was left when the girls rushed out the back door on a tip the FBI was on its way.
Cedar Street
Explore Wallace's historic infamy in this brothel that is exactly how it was left when the girls rushed out the back door on a tip the FBI was on its way.
Sierra Silver Mine Tour
Cedar Street
Take the trolley through the streets of town then explore the underground world of Wallace mining.
Cedar Street
Take the trolley through the streets of town then explore the underground world of Wallace mining.
Other History-Related Options
Come to the Fall for History Festival held every October for days of events, tours, lectures and reenactments related to the local lore and historic building preservation. Explore the Pulaski Tunnel Trail to relive the fire story (catch the episode of Drunk History first for a brief retelling). Learn about the history of violence in the mining industry with historic markers along the road to the Burke ghost town. Grab a map from the Visitor Center to explore the historic homes and buildings on a walking or biking tour. Wander the tombstones at the historic cemetery on Nine Mile Creek Road, one mile from the edge of town. Sign up for a ghost tour of the historic Jameson hotel. Check out the old Episcopal Church which now houses an extensive historic photograph collection. And more!
Come to the Fall for History Festival held every October for days of events, tours, lectures and reenactments related to the local lore and historic building preservation. Explore the Pulaski Tunnel Trail to relive the fire story (catch the episode of Drunk History first for a brief retelling). Learn about the history of violence in the mining industry with historic markers along the road to the Burke ghost town. Grab a map from the Visitor Center to explore the historic homes and buildings on a walking or biking tour. Wander the tombstones at the historic cemetery on Nine Mile Creek Road, one mile from the edge of town. Sign up for a ghost tour of the historic Jameson hotel. Check out the old Episcopal Church which now houses an extensive historic photograph collection. And more!