Wallace (Idaho)

The entire city of Wallace is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. According to the Idaho State Historical Society's Historic Preservation Office, Wallace is the only city in the United States entirely listed on the Register.

This mining town fought for its survival on several occasions:

The mining wars: twice in the 1890s civilian rule was suspended in Wallace. Army troops enforced martial law, locking up every man 15 years of age and older in internment camps because striking miners blew up two mills (1892, 1899) a train (1899) and the Governor of Idaho (1905). The assassin, former Wallace area miner Harry Orchard, spent the rest of his life in prison. The men who allegedly hired him, union bosses with the Western Federation of Miners, also hired famed attorney Clarence Darrow and were acquitted for the conspiracy to murder the Governor.

The fire: five years after the governor was blown up, the mountains blew up. Wallace was in the cross-hairs of America's largest ever wild land fire, the Big Burn of 1910. 30 million acres, an area the size of Connecticut, were incinerated in a weekend. One-third to a half of Wallace burned, but these feisty folks lit four back-burns, put out falling embers the size of trees and battled fire tornadoes to survive. That catastrophe changed the way America fought fires and manages forest.

The freeway: in 1967 the federal highway department announced plans to build Interstate 90 through Wallace, which would have led to the demolition of its downtown corridor and most of its residential area. The town fought back, holding up completion of project in court for nearly 20 years. In that time while city fathers sued, the ladies of the Wallace Historic Preservation Society -- mostly grandmothers -- went to every downtown building, filed reams of paperwork, hired historic architects and got every building, then the entire town placed on the National Register -- so the feds couldn't touch a brick. Wallace was saved and the highway department was forced to build a $43-million bypass.

Interstate 90 passes through town.

• 🌍 Oasis Bordello Museum, 605 Cedar St, ☏ +1 208 753-0801. Summer season: daily 10AM-5PM. Tours start on the half hour. When the final occupants of the Oasis Rooms left in January 1988 (the last recorded date in the "hotel" registry), they seemed to have left in a hurry. Clothing, makeup, toiletries, food and personal items were all left behind. An accurate and tastefully-presented twenty-minute tour of the upper rooms explains the mystery of the ladies' hasty departure and gives a glimpse into the town's bawdy past with details that range from poignant to hilarious. The main floor is an unusual gift shop adorned with Robert Thomas murals that depict the realities of mining in an earlier era. The two-story brick building began its existence in 1895 as a hotel and saloon, and is one of the few structures in Wallace to survive the famous 1910 fire. At that time, Wallace men outnumbered women by nearly 200 to 1. The Oasis was one of five brothels operating without hindrance on Wallace's main street until 1973. $5/person. (updated Sep 2019)
• 🌍 Sierra Silver Mine Tour, 420 Fifth St, ☏ +1 208 752-5151. This is the only tour of its kind in the Northwest. You can experience the underground world of mining in the richest silver district on earth. The tour begins by boarding a 16-passenger trolley. On the short trip to and from the mine portal, a narrated tour is given of Historic Wallace. Hard hats are issued at the portal and an experienced miner is your guide as you walk through the main drift of the mine. Displays and exhibits are explained so people of all ages may safely observe equipment in operation and see modern and historical techniques used to mine silver, lead and zinc. (updated Jul 2019)
• 🌍 Wallace District Mining Museum, 509 Bank St, ☏ +1 208 556-1592. The Silver Valley is the richest silver mining region in the world. The museum artifacts and exhibits portray the life of the period. Videos are shown daily in the thirty-seat theater. (updated Jul 2019)

• 🌍 Northern Pacific Depot Railroad Museum, 219 Sixth St, ☏ +1 208 752-0111. This two-story museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was relocated across the river when the I-90 overpass was being constructed. Colonel Wallace's gravestone can be seen at the lower right by the entrance, though his remains are in California. (updated Jul 2019)

• Burke Road ghost towns. A 5-mile trip along Burke Road takes you through a collection of ghost towns. Many of the town sites have been cleaned up, so many of the buildings and houses are no longer standing. Visiting the Mining Museum in Wallace prior to this self-guided tour will prepare you to understand the life of the men and women who endured the hardships of a mining town, and show you some of the images and artifacts of the Burke area. By car, take I-90, get off at Exit 62, and turn left on to Burke Road. If you plan to walk, go down Bank Street (main town road) east until you see a cross road, once you're there go straight, and you'll be there. Burke Road has no cellphone service, so bring a map of the area. (updated Sep 2019)
• The six towns are:

🌍 Gem 🌍 Frisco 🌍 Black Bear

🌍 Cornwall 🌍 Mace 🌍 Burke

• Idaho Silver Shop - silver jewelry
• Something Perfect - bawdy and funny gifts
• The Fox & The Hare Mountain Wear - outdoor wear
• The Eureka Sally Gallery of Art & Chocolate - art and chocolate
• North Idaho Trading Co - antiques, collectables, and the curiosity
• The Woodland Market - art and gifts
• Olivers Mercantile - antiques, screen printing and eclectic
• Johnson's Gems - gemstones, jewelry and collectables

Silver Moose - a non-profit co-op shop featuring a bakery, gourmet chocolates and unique hand-crafted gifts.

• 1313 Club, 608 Bank St, ☏ +1 208 752-9391. An historic saloon. (updated Sep 2019)
• Blackboard Cafe, 517½ Bank St, ☏ +1 208-512-7553. Fresh, homemade dishes. (updated Sep 2019)
• Glazed and Confused Espresso and Donuts, 207 Fifth St. M-Sa 7AM-3PM. Espresso, cold brew Italian soda, old-fashioned sods, snow cones and amazing old-fashioned donuts. (updated Sep 2019)
• Mom’s Vintage Eatery, 713 E Mullan Ave, Osburn. W-Su 8AM-2PM. A locally owned, family eatery in the middle of the Silver Valley. (updated Sep 2019)
• Smokehouse BBQ & Saloon, 611 Cedar St, Wallace, ☏ +1 208 752-0382, smokehousebbqsaloon@gmail.com. An historic restaurant & saloon – BBQ, burgers, North-west food specialties. (updated Mar 2023)
• Wallace Coffee House, 312 6th St at Cedar, ☏ +1 208 556-5011. An espresso bar serving a wide variety of coffees, specialty drinks, bagels, with a variety of toppings and baked treats. (updated Sep 2019)

• City Limits Brew Pub, 108 Nine Mile Rd. Home of North Idaho Mountain Brew, provides a full unique pub-fare menu including gluten-free and vegetarian options. (updated Sep 2019)
• Cogs GastroPub, 424 6th St. Craft beers, cocktails and light fare, including BBQ and California Street Tacos. They also have a fully stocked cigar humidor. (updated Sep 2019)
• The Fainting Goat Wine Bar and Tap Room, 516 Bank St. (updated Sep 2019)

• Ryan Hotel, 608 Cedar Street, +1 208 753-6001.
• Wallace Inn, 100 Front Street, +1 208 752-1252. The Wallace Inn is off I-90, approximately 11 miles from Silver Mountain Ski Resort, Lookout Pass Ski Area, the Route of Hiawatha mountain biking and hiking trail, and the Silver Country 1000 Mile Trail System.

Not far from Wallace, Kellogg has metal sculptures of a dragon and knight, a gold panner, an elk (in front of the local chapter of the Elks), a big panther (which is the high school's mascot) in front of the local pool, a miner and donkey, and the best was the Red Baron. All seemed to be made of scraps of metal from different things, but they are large! Mine tours (approx. 30 min) are given at Crystal Gold Mine. Kellogg was the site of one of the worst U.S. mining accidents; a statue of a miner holding high a rock drill guards dozens of impromptu headstones at the Sunshine Mine Disaster Memorial.