May 23, 2025 • 29 mins
🎙️ Episode 179: Wallace, Idaho – History, Adventure & The Center of the UniverseShow Notes: Looking for your next unforgettable family getaway? In this episode of The Family Vacationer, Rob and Traci head to the historic and quirky town of Wallace, Idaho—a place where silver mining history meets outdoor adventure, small-town charm, and even a claim to being the "Center of the Universe." Our guest, Shauna Hillman joins us to share what makes this mountain town a hidden gem for family travelers. From biking the famous Route of the Hiawatha, to hiking historic trails like the Pulaski Tunnel Trail, and discovering fascinating local museums, Wallace offers something for every age group. Shauna gives us a full picture of Wallace’s evolution—from surviving a devastating downtown fire in 1972 and preserving its historic identity, to thriving today as a family-friendly destination surrounded by 600 miles of national forest. In This Episode, You'll Learn:
“Remember to keep your hearts and your passports open. Safe travels, everyone!”
- What makes Wallace a “teacup town” and why its mining roots are still central to the community
- Activities for younger kids, teens, and active families
- The story behind the town’s “Center of the Universe” status
- Must-do experiences like the Route of the Hiawatha bike trail and local festivals
- Unique food and lodging options, including huckleberry treats and historic hotels
- Tips for visiting in all seasons, including winter sports and snowshoeing
- Where to find more info and plan your trip
- Route of the Hiawatha – A scenic, family-friendly bike trail through tunnels and over trestles
- Pulaski Tunnel Trail – A hike honoring heroic firefighting history from the 1910 Great Fire
- Wallace District Mining Museum & Sierra Silver Mine Tour
- Annual Events – Huckleberry Festival, antique car shows, Statehood Day Parade & more
- Local eats – Pizza, ice cream, huckleberry shakes, and family-friendly menus everywhere
- Wallace Chamber of Commerce: www.wallaceid.fun
- Facebook: Wallace Idaho Chamber
- Sign up for the Wallace Wednesday newsletter at the Chamber site for updates and events.
“Remember to keep your hearts and your passports open. Safe travels, everyone!”
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Looking for a mountain town packed with history, charm and
family adventure, Wallace, Idaho might just be your next favorite destination.
From scenic bike trails to quirky claims of being the
center of the universe, this place is full of surprises.
Episode one seventy nine starts right now.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Welcome to The Family Vacationer with Robin Tracy, your go
to podcast for families on the move.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Hey everybody, and welcome back to The Family Vacationer, the
podcast where we explore family travel destinations that are fun, affordable,
and unforgettable.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
I'm Rob and I'm Tracy.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
Today we're introducing you to a place that's part living museum,
part outdoor playground, and all heart Wallace, Idaho.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Now, this town might be small in size, but it's
overflowing with character. Built on the riches of silver mining,
Wallace has seen its share of challenges and comebacks.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
That's right after a major downtown fire in nineteen seventy
two and the threat of being bulldozed by a plan interstate,
Wallace residents fought hard to preserve their town. Their efforts
led to the entire downtown being listed on the National
Register for Historic Places and the interstate was rerouted underground.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Today, Wallace thrives as a vibrant destination with historic charm,
family friendly adventure, and a reputation for doing things its
own way. And to help us get to know it
even better, we're joined by Shawna Hillman. Shawna, Welcome to
the show.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Thank you, hey, Shawna.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
For families who may not be familiar with Wallace, how
would you describe the town in just a few words?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Wallace is a tea cup.
Speaker 5 (01:56):
It's like the fine tea leaves in the bottom of
a tea cup, rounded by mountains, and we've got these
beautiful brick buildings all nestled down in the bottom of
the teacup fine leaves, so you can read your fortune here.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
You know, well, you know, we talked to just a
little bit about the rich mining history. Can you share
a little bit about how that history has shaped the
community or continues to shape the community and the attractions
that are available today.
Speaker 5 (02:22):
In the beginning, there was a gold rush a little
bit north of here.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Then there became a.
Speaker 5 (02:28):
Desire to have a more sustainable economy. This would be
about eighteen eighty four, and galina was found or silver
was found, and of course, silver is the poor man's medal,
and it takes the industry and smelting to make it
into the precious metal that it is. So that takes
(02:49):
forward thinking people and future desire to sell your community.
So we have mine owners that built Wallace. Mine owners
are the fathers of the community. So they built the
buildings out of brick and stele and mortar so that
when they brought an investor here, they could show them
(03:10):
the sustainability of the Cordelaine Mining district and their mining properties,
and that developed into railroad. Of course, railroad developed the telegraph,
and the mine owners had absolutely the best communication that
any mining district could want. They had telegraph from Chicago
(03:31):
to San Francisco. Indeed, most of the early investors come
from Chicago to San Francisco, and pretty soon you have
a whole community, a thriving, progressive, producing community.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
Very cool. So what are some of the most popular
things for first time visitors to do in Wallace.
Speaker 5 (03:50):
Well, first time visitors always, in fact almost always come
to ride the route of the Hiawatha because it's in
the middle of nowhere. You have to stay here either
the night before you go or the night the evening
after you finish heck of a deal.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Don't you think.
Speaker 5 (04:08):
It's fifteen miles it's downhill. You probably can help correct me.
I never get this right. I think it's eight tunnels
and ten trestles. That we have seventy three miles of
the Cordelane trail that practically goes the entire width of
(04:28):
North Idaho, and it follows the old Union Pacific rail
line that came through here from Plumber to Mullen, and
it travels through many towns. But of course Wallace is
the grandest of the mall, being with the brick buildings
at all. Then there is a Pulaski Trail. It is
(04:51):
a trail that's dedicated to the Great Fire of nineteen
ten and Ranger Ed Pulaski who led forty three firefighters
up over out of Lake Elsie and into the Nicholson
Added and saved their lives during the nineteen ten fire
blow up on August twenty second, nineteen ten.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Those are the three biggest things.
Speaker 5 (05:11):
There's always a theater in the middle of the summer,
there's lots of shopping, walking about.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
To do, and generally sitting on benches watching the trees.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Well you know, when you're talking family vacations, you're talking
families traveling with kids of different age groups. So what
activities or attractions would you recommend for families that are
visiting with younger children.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
Well, there's a park at each end of every street
in Wallace, so you can always walk to the park.
It's a very walkable town, and younger children can hike
portions of the Pulaski Trail that are not as steep.
It only gets steeped about the last half miles. Well,
(06:00):
there's lots of walking along the west fork of Placer
Creek there and seeing the flora and fauna along that trail.
Children I believe it's five to twelve can ride the
route of the Hiawatha, and they even have that bicycle
(06:22):
that hooks on the back of the parents' bike for safety,
and all of that equipment is available for rent on
the route of the Hiawatha. Of course, there is a
trail of the Cordelines which one can bicycle on, you
can walk on it. It's perfect for a family with
toddlers because it's paved and strollers are easily pushed on
(06:45):
it as well. Of course, there's always the North fork
of the Cordelaine River. Wallace has a downtown swimming pool
that's open in the summer and generally sitting around doing nothing.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Never forget that ice cream.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
It's about like hiking and stuff. But are there any
other like outdoor adventures that teens or more active families
might enjoy.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
You know, we have some pretty intense hikes because we're
in the bottom of the Teacup. That means that everything
is up from here. So if you're in for a
little up. There's Stephens Stephens Lakes, which are a couple
of small lakes at the base of Stephen's Peak, and
(07:29):
it's it's quite a up, straight up hike. There's Revet,
which one would have to drive to Thompson Pass the
Idaho Montana Pass. It's a paved two lane road to
get to the trailhead and then a nice, pretty level
(07:49):
hike in for an older family.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
And of course there's always Glitten Lakes.
Speaker 5 (07:55):
It's a rough, rough road, but it can be accessed
in your suv drive slowly, or an ATV can get
there if they drive slowly. And motorbikes are welcome here.
ATVs are welcome here. Bicycles are very welcome. Here on
(08:20):
foot is welcome. Electric bikes are welcome. There's also a
couple of trails, although you also have to realize that
you always drive someplace from Wallis, much like the Northwest anyway,
and so on the north side of me about fifteen
miles from here is a quarterlane river drainage, so one
(08:42):
can kayak or float this river in the summer. It's
generally a very gentle river. There's fishing on that river,
of course, some people would need an out of state
fishing license. Kayaking floating, there are some deep holes one
could do a bit of of snorkeling, take a bag
with you and pick up the litter that I'm sure's
(09:03):
in the bottom of every river hole in the world.
And there's another place called the Ancient Cedars that are
on that side of the camp and it's a very
lovely walk through some very big seedars that have survived
the nineteen ten fire and other floods.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
So there's lots of Forest Service trails. The Ancient Cedars
is maintained.
Speaker 5 (09:35):
As is the Pulaski Trail, so they're very nice trails.
So the more more adventurous teenagers straight up down the.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Mountain you mentioned the route of the Hiawatha bike trail.
Can you talk a little bit more about what that
experience is like and you know what families can expect.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
Well, remember the route of the Hiawathe is the Milwaukee Road.
Nine to nineteen ten, they were building the Chicago Milwaukee
Saint Paul Railroad from Chicago out to Tacoma. And when
they got to the Bitter Roots, of course, Northern Pacific
and Great Northern had locked up what they considered were
(10:17):
the easiest routes. Sold the Milwaukee Road through the Bitter
Roots at East Portal or at Taft, and drilled a
one point six mile tunnel through the Idaho Montana border.
And then of course it made looping back and forth,
(10:39):
swooping turns, and a bit through more tunnels as it
came down through the Bitterroot Mountains on the Saint Joe
River and flattened out at Avery, where they made a
big power plant eventually and electrified this portion of the
railroad from averymont Idaho to Harlowton, Montana. Incidentally the first
(11:02):
electrified railroad ever built. But that just shows you how
progressive the Milwaukee Road was. So when they finally closed
that railroad and abandoned it. In the seventies, it was
picked up and used as a logging road for a while,
and the lower portion of that road is now access
(11:23):
from Wallace to Avery through the mountains. But the bicycle
ride turned out to be fifteen miles. If you start
in Montana, you ride through the border half part way
through that tunnel, and it's dark in there, so you
have to have headlamps and tell lights and be aware
of where you are. It's also muddy because there's a
(11:45):
lot of water up here. And then you proceed to
go through other tunnels. You know, I swear some of
the tunnels make such a tight corner.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
They're darker than the mile long one.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
But then you come out in the beautiful sunshine and
the scenery is to die for, and take your bicycle
away from you and you just drive away in your
comfortable car.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
That sounds perfect, sounds like my kind of speed.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
So Wallace is famously known as the center of the universe.
Can you tell us the story behind that?
Speaker 3 (12:24):
This is a great story. At the time, we were.
Speaker 5 (12:30):
Part of an Environmental Protection Agency superfund site and those
are really hard words to say, but I must tell
you we are grateful for this intervention that we.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Sort of had here.
Speaker 5 (12:48):
So during the course of the EPA coming in and
declaring a twenty one mile superfund site on the Bunker
Hill smelter in Kellogg, which is ten miles east of Wallace,
they they begin to set rules for the mining companies
(13:11):
that we're still mining here and we're still prolific in
the production of silver, lead, and zinc.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
And so they developed a theory.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
Of probabilism, and that theory is basically, if something can't
be proven that it's wrong, it therefore must be right.
And so Wallace seems like the center of the universe
to me.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Well, with all of the rich history that you've already
talked about, are there any I imagine there have to
be local tours, museums, historical sites that really bring the
town story to life for visitors.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
Yes, there are a number of them, starting with there's
eight hundred stairs on the South Hill. Remember I told
you everything was up, Yeah, including the South Hill of
town where prior to the Great Fire of nineteen ten,
the residents could only get to their homes by the
(14:13):
stairs and trails, And after the nineteen ten fire they
built roads there we have the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot Museum,
which is a gorgeous little Queen Anne style brick and
block building that was saved during the time when Interstate
ninety was being built through Wallace. We have the Wallace
(14:36):
District Mining Museum, where you can see the original Pulaski
that ranger ed designed and built or welded together, i
should say, after the Great Fire of nineteen ten, thus
making the continued use of the Pulaski firefighting tool. And
(14:58):
of course there's always this over Sierra Mine tour which
takes you underground and shows you how the silver is
extracted from the earth and transported out, and you can
even see a little bit of that that galina as
it develops in the rocks.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
It's very interesting.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
It's also very noisy, and of course then most unusual
here is the Barnard Stockbridge Photographic Gallery Museum.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
So may I digress a bit?
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Sure? Absolutely, okay. P. N.
Speaker 5 (15:40):
Barnard was a photographer in Wallace and his worker was
Nelly Stockbridge. They would photograph mine workings or mining property
or mining portals for use to describe to who investors
(16:01):
what a mining property might look like.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Maybe an annual report.
Speaker 5 (16:04):
Even so, this is one of the most well documented
industrial areas ever and all of those eight by ten
and five by seven plates, glass plates and film are
collected and stored at the University of Idaho, and this
(16:26):
is a local outlet for those photographs. So as well
as mining properties being photographed, Nelly hiked to the top
of the mountain remember everything's up, and photographed Wallace as
it developed and grew as a city.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
She also photographed families.
Speaker 5 (16:45):
So occasionally the family will come looking for pictures of
their relatives and it'll be in that collection.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
How exciting would that make it?
Speaker 5 (16:57):
And then, of course there are other museums, as you
can tell you down the Cordelaine Mining District or the
Silver Valley, there are other towns and they have museums
as well.
Speaker 4 (17:08):
Are there any annual events or festivals that Wallace hosts
that are especially fun for families?
Speaker 5 (17:16):
How about one a month? We start in mid May,
two weekends ago. We have the car show, largest number
of cars showing and in Wallace. A festival happens in
town because Wallace is only six blocks big, so everything
you do in this town happens in the town right
(17:39):
downtown so we had an antique car show that was
a benefit for the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot. Let's see,
June is coming and so there will be a carnival
that will come to town in June.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
In July, we have a Statehood Day parade.
Speaker 5 (17:56):
Statehood Day in Idaho is July third, and so it's
not really likable to have fireworks in a town that
is surrounded by trees and mountains, so we celebrate with
a parade on Statehood Day. Kids and bicycles are encouraged.
(18:16):
Of course, if smoking bears not out putting out fires,
he's invited.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
All fire trucks are invited.
Speaker 5 (18:23):
Parades and Wallace are lovable, short and candy ridden.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
That sounds perfect.
Speaker 5 (18:31):
So then we get into September, and of course we
have a local fraternal of Elks and they have their Roundup,
which is another parade in Wallace. We also have the
Huckleberry Festival in August. I've forgot about that one wonderful
good time of huckleberries. So you know, if it doesn't
(18:53):
rain a lot in June, the huckleberries aren't good in
July and August. So if you're planning a trip in June,
in Wallace be prepared for cooler temperatures. It probably won't snow,
but who knows.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
You mentioned huckleberries, so we've talked about huckleberries on the
show before. How would you liken that taste to what
other fruit? If somebody was wanting to try a huckleberry,
what would you say? It tastes like.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
There is no other taste like it?
Speaker 5 (19:26):
Okay, it resembles a small blueberry, okay. Its flavor is bold, tart, sweet, amazing,
breathtaking tart. You know it's a redundant fruit, okay, and
(19:47):
an addictive I might add.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
It sounds like it.
Speaker 5 (19:50):
I prefer my my huckleberries mixed with a little rhubarb
and a pie myself.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (19:57):
They seem to offset each other nice. You can get
huckleberry ice cream and shakes all over the place in Wallace,
quite a few places, so it's not uncommon to walk
the streets and share.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
An ice cream cone.
Speaker 5 (20:12):
We also have another event. It's not necessarily children based.
It's called Fall for History, and the programs are more
older children and adults only in that we step back
in time and we.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
Re examine our history. Here.
Speaker 5 (20:34):
Mind you, the history of Wallace reads like a dime novel, murder, mayhem, mining,
money men and prostitution.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
So what's not to research there?
Speaker 1 (20:42):
Right right? Yes?
Speaker 5 (20:45):
So this year on Fall for History, the theme of
it is the Labor Wars of eighteen ninety nine, so
that's that's kind of a grown up thing for kids.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
But it is an interesting cemetery. It's an old cemetery.
Speaker 5 (21:02):
We've had families come to rubbiings on headstones at the
cemetery because there are some interesting ones there.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
We love talking about food on the Family Vacationer. So
what are some family friendly places to eat in Wallace?
And maybe some local dishes? You mentioned Huckleberry, so we
know that's something we have to try. What are some
other local dishes and family friendly places to eat in Wallace?
Speaker 5 (21:29):
Every restaurant in Wallace is friendly, family friendly. There's nine
outdoors and on the sidewalk, so in that particular case
it's also dog friendly. And the Fainting Goat has a
marvelous wood fired pizza. So needless to say, I see
(21:50):
lots of families in and out of there.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
We have.
Speaker 5 (21:56):
A nice rought, broad range hamburgers everywhere, sandwiches, Italian food.
One coffee shop also makes submarine sandwiches and encourages you
(22:17):
to buy your picnic there.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
And the Pulaski Trail would make a wonderful family picnic.
There are benches.
Speaker 5 (22:26):
There aren't tables on that trail, but I'm pretty sure
you could find a tree log to sit on.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
There are some.
Speaker 5 (22:33):
We have two breweries as well that the North Idaho
Mountain Brew is also a restaurant, so it is family
friendly as well. The thirteen thirteen has special child's portions.
In fact, every menu has a child's portion on it,
(22:54):
so very very family friendly.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
If you're looking for fast foods that might be a
little here.
Speaker 5 (23:01):
You can drive to a McDonald's elsewhere, but you cannot
find one here.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
We'd rather mom and popp it. We'd rather enjoy the
local restaurant scene.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
That's how we feel.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
That's not a bad thing to not have a McDonald's. Yeah,
what about lodging options that would work well for families,
like historic inns or cabins or modern hotels.
Speaker 5 (23:26):
As I was talking about North Idaho Mountain Brew. They
also have an RV park. Oh Man, This RV park
is something else. It's on a north south running canyon,
so the sun goes over the top of it.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
So after you've.
Speaker 5 (23:41):
Returned from your ATV ride, your massive bicycle ride, you're
out of the Hiawatha ride at three o'clock in the afternoon,
that r V park's already in the shade and nine
Mile Creek runs right through it, so you have that
freshness of the water.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
Oh, it's a wonderful RV park. They also have cabins, uh,
we have We have three hotels.
Speaker 5 (24:05):
The Ryan Hotel is an old hotel in Wallace. It's
on the upper story, so you have to climb stairs again.
But it's uh, it's been restored. They didn't buy new
brass when they restored it. They restored the old brass.
Speaker 4 (24:22):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (24:23):
Of course we have the the Brooks Hotel, which is
very accessible right down town at the corner of Fifth
and Cedar. We have the Starbuck Star Stardust Hotel, which
has the most glorious lighted sign you would think that
you were driving into Las Vegas. And of course we
have the very modern Wallace in We also have an
(24:47):
array of airbnbs, vrbos and and loft rental space in
some of the upper buildings as well. Can we can
we sleep a thousand people? Not even but we can
sleep a family afore.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
Sure you were talking about earlier a ski resort. So
is Wallace a good destination for winter travelers and what
kind of snowy activities are available in the area.
Speaker 5 (25:19):
We'd like to have more visitors for the winter time.
We are located on Interstate ninety and some of the
local businesses have even coined the phrase somewhere between Washington
and Montana. We're only seventy five miles wide here, but
Lookout passes on the Idaho Montana border. It almost always
(25:43):
has the best snow in the region. It just happens
to be in one of those snow belts. Wallace is
the nearest full service community to look Out and that
would make Lookout Pass about eighteen miles to the west
of US all on the Interstate ninety. At Interstate ninety
is very well taken care of in the winter. There's
(26:06):
also Silver Mountain to the east of US at Kellogg,
and again you pull right off I ninety to the
resort and then a mile long gondola takes you up
to the ski resort Silver Mountain. So both of these
ski resorts have put in tubing areas and cross country
(26:31):
routes and snowshoe routes as well as the downhill skiing
and snowboarding. Of course, we have lots of snowmollbills that
come around. You can rent snowmollbills as well as ATVs
in downtown Wallace.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
Here you can find your own path if you take if.
Speaker 5 (26:50):
You're willing to drive up to one of the dobs
and paths which is just outside of Wallace and walk
on the logging roads that are up there as well.
So downtown Wallace rains in the winter, but just outside
of town it's glorious and snowy and beautiful.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Where could of our listeners find more information if they're
trying to plan, especially a first time visit to Wallace.
What's the best place for our listeners to find information
on planning their trip.
Speaker 5 (27:24):
The Chamber of Commerce gave me a number of sites.
The one they recommend the most is www. Wallaceid dot fund. Okay, then,
of course, if one.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
Can always go on Facebook to.
Speaker 5 (27:42):
Facebook dot com, Wallace, Idaho.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Chamber, and you can also go into.
Speaker 5 (27:55):
Wallace, Idaho Chamber and sign up for the weekly newsleand
to learn what's happening more in Wallace proper. It's called
the Wallace Wednesday and it's at the Wallas, Idaho Chamber
of Commerce.
Speaker 4 (28:10):
All right, So last question, what can you sum up
everything that we kind of talked about that what makes
Wallace such a memorable destination for our families.
Speaker 5 (28:22):
Well, the Silver Valley nine miles wide by twenty four
miles long. We have a ski resort at each end
and two three golf courses in between, with two Crown
Jewel bicycle rides. You can do anything you want here,
and we're surrounded by six hundred miles of national forest.
You can hike, bike, hunt, fish, ski ATV, snowmobile, snowshoe
(28:47):
and ski. We support five G network we have. We're
located on I ninety and we mine three hundred and
nineteen million dollars of valued production medals in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
For come join us.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
I think that goes on the brochure. Sean Up, thank
you so much for being with us today and sharing
all the things that make Wallace so special. You told
us that you are a passionate resident and that absolutely showed,
so thank you so much for your time, Yod.
Speaker 4 (29:16):
Thank you, thank you, and thank you to all our listeners.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Family Vacationer, leave us
a review and follow us on Instagram and substack for
more great family travel tip.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Remember, folks, to keep your hearts and your passports open.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
Save travels everyone.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
Thank you for listening to The Family Vacationer.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
Make sure I like it.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Subscribe to hear more from Robin Tracycy
Looking for a mountain town packed with history, charm and
family adventure, Wallace, Idaho might just be your next favorite destination.
From scenic bike trails to quirky claims of being the
center of the universe, this place is full of surprises.
Episode one seventy nine starts right now.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Welcome to The Family Vacationer with Robin Tracy, your go
to podcast for families on the move.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Hey everybody, and welcome back to The Family Vacationer, the
podcast where we explore family travel destinations that are fun, affordable,
and unforgettable.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
I'm Rob and I'm Tracy.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
Today we're introducing you to a place that's part living museum,
part outdoor playground, and all heart Wallace, Idaho.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Now, this town might be small in size, but it's
overflowing with character. Built on the riches of silver mining,
Wallace has seen its share of challenges and comebacks.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
That's right after a major downtown fire in nineteen seventy
two and the threat of being bulldozed by a plan interstate,
Wallace residents fought hard to preserve their town. Their efforts
led to the entire downtown being listed on the National
Register for Historic Places and the interstate was rerouted underground.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Today, Wallace thrives as a vibrant destination with historic charm,
family friendly adventure, and a reputation for doing things its
own way. And to help us get to know it
even better, we're joined by Shawna Hillman. Shawna, Welcome to
the show.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Thank you, hey, Shawna.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
For families who may not be familiar with Wallace, how
would you describe the town in just a few words?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Wallace is a tea cup.
Speaker 5 (01:56):
It's like the fine tea leaves in the bottom of
a tea cup, rounded by mountains, and we've got these
beautiful brick buildings all nestled down in the bottom of
the teacup fine leaves, so you can read your fortune here.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
You know, well, you know, we talked to just a
little bit about the rich mining history. Can you share
a little bit about how that history has shaped the
community or continues to shape the community and the attractions
that are available today.
Speaker 5 (02:22):
In the beginning, there was a gold rush a little
bit north of here.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Then there became a.
Speaker 5 (02:28):
Desire to have a more sustainable economy. This would be
about eighteen eighty four, and galina was found or silver
was found, and of course, silver is the poor man's medal,
and it takes the industry and smelting to make it
into the precious metal that it is. So that takes
(02:49):
forward thinking people and future desire to sell your community.
So we have mine owners that built Wallace. Mine owners
are the fathers of the community. So they built the
buildings out of brick and stele and mortar so that
when they brought an investor here, they could show them
(03:10):
the sustainability of the Cordelaine Mining district and their mining properties,
and that developed into railroad. Of course, railroad developed the telegraph,
and the mine owners had absolutely the best communication that
any mining district could want. They had telegraph from Chicago
(03:31):
to San Francisco. Indeed, most of the early investors come
from Chicago to San Francisco, and pretty soon you have
a whole community, a thriving, progressive, producing community.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
Very cool. So what are some of the most popular
things for first time visitors to do in Wallace.
Speaker 5 (03:50):
Well, first time visitors always, in fact almost always come
to ride the route of the Hiawatha because it's in
the middle of nowhere. You have to stay here either
the night before you go or the night the evening
after you finish heck of a deal.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Don't you think.
Speaker 5 (04:08):
It's fifteen miles it's downhill. You probably can help correct me.
I never get this right. I think it's eight tunnels
and ten trestles. That we have seventy three miles of
the Cordelane trail that practically goes the entire width of
(04:28):
North Idaho, and it follows the old Union Pacific rail
line that came through here from Plumber to Mullen, and
it travels through many towns. But of course Wallace is
the grandest of the mall, being with the brick buildings
at all. Then there is a Pulaski Trail. It is
(04:51):
a trail that's dedicated to the Great Fire of nineteen
ten and Ranger Ed Pulaski who led forty three firefighters
up over out of Lake Elsie and into the Nicholson
Added and saved their lives during the nineteen ten fire
blow up on August twenty second, nineteen ten.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Those are the three biggest things.
Speaker 5 (05:11):
There's always a theater in the middle of the summer,
there's lots of shopping, walking about.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
To do, and generally sitting on benches watching the trees.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Well you know, when you're talking family vacations, you're talking
families traveling with kids of different age groups. So what
activities or attractions would you recommend for families that are
visiting with younger children.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
Well, there's a park at each end of every street
in Wallace, so you can always walk to the park.
It's a very walkable town, and younger children can hike
portions of the Pulaski Trail that are not as steep.
It only gets steeped about the last half miles. Well,
(06:00):
there's lots of walking along the west fork of Placer
Creek there and seeing the flora and fauna along that trail.
Children I believe it's five to twelve can ride the
route of the Hiawatha, and they even have that bicycle
(06:22):
that hooks on the back of the parents' bike for safety,
and all of that equipment is available for rent on
the route of the Hiawatha. Of course, there is a
trail of the Cordelines which one can bicycle on, you
can walk on it. It's perfect for a family with
toddlers because it's paved and strollers are easily pushed on
(06:45):
it as well. Of course, there's always the North fork
of the Cordelaine River. Wallace has a downtown swimming pool
that's open in the summer and generally sitting around doing nothing.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Never forget that ice cream.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
It's about like hiking and stuff. But are there any
other like outdoor adventures that teens or more active families
might enjoy.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
You know, we have some pretty intense hikes because we're
in the bottom of the Teacup. That means that everything
is up from here. So if you're in for a
little up. There's Stephens Stephens Lakes, which are a couple
of small lakes at the base of Stephen's Peak, and
(07:29):
it's it's quite a up, straight up hike. There's Revet,
which one would have to drive to Thompson Pass the
Idaho Montana Pass. It's a paved two lane road to
get to the trailhead and then a nice, pretty level
(07:49):
hike in for an older family.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
And of course there's always Glitten Lakes.
Speaker 5 (07:55):
It's a rough, rough road, but it can be accessed
in your suv drive slowly, or an ATV can get
there if they drive slowly. And motorbikes are welcome here.
ATVs are welcome here. Bicycles are very welcome. Here on
(08:20):
foot is welcome. Electric bikes are welcome. There's also a
couple of trails, although you also have to realize that
you always drive someplace from Wallis, much like the Northwest anyway,
and so on the north side of me about fifteen
miles from here is a quarterlane river drainage, so one
(08:42):
can kayak or float this river in the summer. It's
generally a very gentle river. There's fishing on that river,
of course, some people would need an out of state
fishing license. Kayaking floating, there are some deep holes one
could do a bit of of snorkeling, take a bag
with you and pick up the litter that I'm sure's
(09:03):
in the bottom of every river hole in the world.
And there's another place called the Ancient Cedars that are
on that side of the camp and it's a very
lovely walk through some very big seedars that have survived
the nineteen ten fire and other floods.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
So there's lots of Forest Service trails. The Ancient Cedars
is maintained.
Speaker 5 (09:35):
As is the Pulaski Trail, so they're very nice trails.
So the more more adventurous teenagers straight up down the.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Mountain you mentioned the route of the Hiawatha bike trail.
Can you talk a little bit more about what that
experience is like and you know what families can expect.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
Well, remember the route of the Hiawathe is the Milwaukee Road.
Nine to nineteen ten, they were building the Chicago Milwaukee
Saint Paul Railroad from Chicago out to Tacoma. And when
they got to the Bitter Roots, of course, Northern Pacific
and Great Northern had locked up what they considered were
(10:17):
the easiest routes. Sold the Milwaukee Road through the Bitter
Roots at East Portal or at Taft, and drilled a
one point six mile tunnel through the Idaho Montana border.
And then of course it made looping back and forth,
(10:39):
swooping turns, and a bit through more tunnels as it
came down through the Bitterroot Mountains on the Saint Joe
River and flattened out at Avery, where they made a
big power plant eventually and electrified this portion of the
railroad from averymont Idaho to Harlowton, Montana. Incidentally the first
(11:02):
electrified railroad ever built. But that just shows you how
progressive the Milwaukee Road was. So when they finally closed
that railroad and abandoned it. In the seventies, it was
picked up and used as a logging road for a while,
and the lower portion of that road is now access
(11:23):
from Wallace to Avery through the mountains. But the bicycle
ride turned out to be fifteen miles. If you start
in Montana, you ride through the border half part way
through that tunnel, and it's dark in there, so you
have to have headlamps and tell lights and be aware
of where you are. It's also muddy because there's a
(11:45):
lot of water up here. And then you proceed to
go through other tunnels. You know, I swear some of
the tunnels make such a tight corner.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
They're darker than the mile long one.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
But then you come out in the beautiful sunshine and
the scenery is to die for, and take your bicycle
away from you and you just drive away in your
comfortable car.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
That sounds perfect, sounds like my kind of speed.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
So Wallace is famously known as the center of the universe.
Can you tell us the story behind that?
Speaker 3 (12:24):
This is a great story. At the time, we were.
Speaker 5 (12:30):
Part of an Environmental Protection Agency superfund site and those
are really hard words to say, but I must tell
you we are grateful for this intervention that we.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Sort of had here.
Speaker 5 (12:48):
So during the course of the EPA coming in and
declaring a twenty one mile superfund site on the Bunker
Hill smelter in Kellogg, which is ten miles east of Wallace,
they they begin to set rules for the mining companies
(13:11):
that we're still mining here and we're still prolific in
the production of silver, lead, and zinc.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
And so they developed a theory.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
Of probabilism, and that theory is basically, if something can't
be proven that it's wrong, it therefore must be right.
And so Wallace seems like the center of the universe
to me.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Well, with all of the rich history that you've already
talked about, are there any I imagine there have to
be local tours, museums, historical sites that really bring the
town story to life for visitors.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
Yes, there are a number of them, starting with there's
eight hundred stairs on the South Hill. Remember I told
you everything was up, Yeah, including the South Hill of
town where prior to the Great Fire of nineteen ten,
the residents could only get to their homes by the
(14:13):
stairs and trails, And after the nineteen ten fire they
built roads there we have the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot Museum,
which is a gorgeous little Queen Anne style brick and
block building that was saved during the time when Interstate
ninety was being built through Wallace. We have the Wallace
(14:36):
District Mining Museum, where you can see the original Pulaski
that ranger ed designed and built or welded together, i
should say, after the Great Fire of nineteen ten, thus
making the continued use of the Pulaski firefighting tool. And
(14:58):
of course there's always this over Sierra Mine tour which
takes you underground and shows you how the silver is
extracted from the earth and transported out, and you can
even see a little bit of that that galina as
it develops in the rocks.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
It's very interesting.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
It's also very noisy, and of course then most unusual
here is the Barnard Stockbridge Photographic Gallery Museum.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
So may I digress a bit?
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Sure? Absolutely, okay. P. N.
Speaker 5 (15:40):
Barnard was a photographer in Wallace and his worker was
Nelly Stockbridge. They would photograph mine workings or mining property
or mining portals for use to describe to who investors
(16:01):
what a mining property might look like.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Maybe an annual report.
Speaker 5 (16:04):
Even so, this is one of the most well documented
industrial areas ever and all of those eight by ten
and five by seven plates, glass plates and film are
collected and stored at the University of Idaho, and this
(16:26):
is a local outlet for those photographs. So as well
as mining properties being photographed, Nelly hiked to the top
of the mountain remember everything's up, and photographed Wallace as
it developed and grew as a city.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
She also photographed families.
Speaker 5 (16:45):
So occasionally the family will come looking for pictures of
their relatives and it'll be in that collection.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
How exciting would that make it?
Speaker 5 (16:57):
And then, of course there are other museums, as you
can tell you down the Cordelaine Mining District or the
Silver Valley, there are other towns and they have museums
as well.
Speaker 4 (17:08):
Are there any annual events or festivals that Wallace hosts
that are especially fun for families?
Speaker 5 (17:16):
How about one a month? We start in mid May,
two weekends ago. We have the car show, largest number
of cars showing and in Wallace. A festival happens in
town because Wallace is only six blocks big, so everything
you do in this town happens in the town right
(17:39):
downtown so we had an antique car show that was
a benefit for the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot. Let's see,
June is coming and so there will be a carnival
that will come to town in June.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
In July, we have a Statehood Day parade.
Speaker 5 (17:56):
Statehood Day in Idaho is July third, and so it's
not really likable to have fireworks in a town that
is surrounded by trees and mountains, so we celebrate with
a parade on Statehood Day. Kids and bicycles are encouraged.
(18:16):
Of course, if smoking bears not out putting out fires,
he's invited.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
All fire trucks are invited.
Speaker 5 (18:23):
Parades and Wallace are lovable, short and candy ridden.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
That sounds perfect.
Speaker 5 (18:31):
So then we get into September, and of course we
have a local fraternal of Elks and they have their Roundup,
which is another parade in Wallace. We also have the
Huckleberry Festival in August. I've forgot about that one wonderful
good time of huckleberries. So you know, if it doesn't
(18:53):
rain a lot in June, the huckleberries aren't good in
July and August. So if you're planning a trip in June,
in Wallace be prepared for cooler temperatures. It probably won't snow,
but who knows.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
You mentioned huckleberries, so we've talked about huckleberries on the
show before. How would you liken that taste to what
other fruit? If somebody was wanting to try a huckleberry,
what would you say? It tastes like.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
There is no other taste like it?
Speaker 5 (19:26):
Okay, it resembles a small blueberry, okay. Its flavor is bold, tart, sweet, amazing,
breathtaking tart. You know it's a redundant fruit, okay, and
(19:47):
an addictive I might add.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
It sounds like it.
Speaker 5 (19:50):
I prefer my my huckleberries mixed with a little rhubarb
and a pie myself.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (19:57):
They seem to offset each other nice. You can get
huckleberry ice cream and shakes all over the place in Wallace,
quite a few places, so it's not uncommon to walk
the streets and share.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
An ice cream cone.
Speaker 5 (20:12):
We also have another event. It's not necessarily children based.
It's called Fall for History, and the programs are more
older children and adults only in that we step back
in time and we.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
Re examine our history. Here.
Speaker 5 (20:34):
Mind you, the history of Wallace reads like a dime novel, murder, mayhem, mining,
money men and prostitution.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
So what's not to research there?
Speaker 1 (20:42):
Right right? Yes?
Speaker 5 (20:45):
So this year on Fall for History, the theme of
it is the Labor Wars of eighteen ninety nine, so
that's that's kind of a grown up thing for kids.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
But it is an interesting cemetery. It's an old cemetery.
Speaker 5 (21:02):
We've had families come to rubbiings on headstones at the
cemetery because there are some interesting ones there.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
We love talking about food on the Family Vacationer. So
what are some family friendly places to eat in Wallace?
And maybe some local dishes? You mentioned Huckleberry, so we
know that's something we have to try. What are some
other local dishes and family friendly places to eat in Wallace?
Speaker 5 (21:29):
Every restaurant in Wallace is friendly, family friendly. There's nine
outdoors and on the sidewalk, so in that particular case
it's also dog friendly. And the Fainting Goat has a
marvelous wood fired pizza. So needless to say, I see
(21:50):
lots of families in and out of there.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
We have.
Speaker 5 (21:56):
A nice rought, broad range hamburgers everywhere, sandwiches, Italian food.
One coffee shop also makes submarine sandwiches and encourages you
(22:17):
to buy your picnic there.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
And the Pulaski Trail would make a wonderful family picnic.
There are benches.
Speaker 5 (22:26):
There aren't tables on that trail, but I'm pretty sure
you could find a tree log to sit on.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
There are some.
Speaker 5 (22:33):
We have two breweries as well that the North Idaho
Mountain Brew is also a restaurant, so it is family
friendly as well. The thirteen thirteen has special child's portions.
In fact, every menu has a child's portion on it,
(22:54):
so very very family friendly.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
If you're looking for fast foods that might be a
little here.
Speaker 5 (23:01):
You can drive to a McDonald's elsewhere, but you cannot
find one here.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
We'd rather mom and popp it. We'd rather enjoy the
local restaurant scene.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
That's how we feel.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
That's not a bad thing to not have a McDonald's. Yeah,
what about lodging options that would work well for families,
like historic inns or cabins or modern hotels.
Speaker 5 (23:26):
As I was talking about North Idaho Mountain Brew. They
also have an RV park. Oh Man, This RV park
is something else. It's on a north south running canyon,
so the sun goes over the top of it.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
So after you've.
Speaker 5 (23:41):
Returned from your ATV ride, your massive bicycle ride, you're
out of the Hiawatha ride at three o'clock in the afternoon,
that r V park's already in the shade and nine
Mile Creek runs right through it, so you have that
freshness of the water.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
Oh, it's a wonderful RV park. They also have cabins, uh,
we have We have three hotels.
Speaker 5 (24:05):
The Ryan Hotel is an old hotel in Wallace. It's
on the upper story, so you have to climb stairs again.
But it's uh, it's been restored. They didn't buy new
brass when they restored it. They restored the old brass.
Speaker 4 (24:22):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (24:23):
Of course we have the the Brooks Hotel, which is
very accessible right down town at the corner of Fifth
and Cedar. We have the Starbuck Star Stardust Hotel, which
has the most glorious lighted sign you would think that
you were driving into Las Vegas. And of course we
have the very modern Wallace in We also have an
(24:47):
array of airbnbs, vrbos and and loft rental space in
some of the upper buildings as well. Can we can
we sleep a thousand people? Not even but we can
sleep a family afore.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
Sure you were talking about earlier a ski resort. So
is Wallace a good destination for winter travelers and what
kind of snowy activities are available in the area.
Speaker 5 (25:19):
We'd like to have more visitors for the winter time.
We are located on Interstate ninety and some of the
local businesses have even coined the phrase somewhere between Washington
and Montana. We're only seventy five miles wide here, but
Lookout passes on the Idaho Montana border. It almost always
(25:43):
has the best snow in the region. It just happens
to be in one of those snow belts. Wallace is
the nearest full service community to look Out and that
would make Lookout Pass about eighteen miles to the west
of US all on the Interstate ninety. At Interstate ninety
is very well taken care of in the winter. There's
(26:06):
also Silver Mountain to the east of US at Kellogg,
and again you pull right off I ninety to the
resort and then a mile long gondola takes you up
to the ski resort Silver Mountain. So both of these
ski resorts have put in tubing areas and cross country
(26:31):
routes and snowshoe routes as well as the downhill skiing
and snowboarding. Of course, we have lots of snowmollbills that
come around. You can rent snowmollbills as well as ATVs
in downtown Wallace.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
Here you can find your own path if you take if.
Speaker 5 (26:50):
You're willing to drive up to one of the dobs
and paths which is just outside of Wallace and walk
on the logging roads that are up there as well.
So downtown Wallace rains in the winter, but just outside
of town it's glorious and snowy and beautiful.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Where could of our listeners find more information if they're
trying to plan, especially a first time visit to Wallace.
What's the best place for our listeners to find information
on planning their trip.
Speaker 5 (27:24):
The Chamber of Commerce gave me a number of sites.
The one they recommend the most is www. Wallaceid dot fund. Okay, then,
of course, if one.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
Can always go on Facebook to.
Speaker 5 (27:42):
Facebook dot com, Wallace, Idaho.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Chamber, and you can also go into.
Speaker 5 (27:55):
Wallace, Idaho Chamber and sign up for the weekly newsleand
to learn what's happening more in Wallace proper. It's called
the Wallace Wednesday and it's at the Wallas, Idaho Chamber
of Commerce.
Speaker 4 (28:10):
All right, So last question, what can you sum up
everything that we kind of talked about that what makes
Wallace such a memorable destination for our families.
Speaker 5 (28:22):
Well, the Silver Valley nine miles wide by twenty four
miles long. We have a ski resort at each end
and two three golf courses in between, with two Crown
Jewel bicycle rides. You can do anything you want here,
and we're surrounded by six hundred miles of national forest.
You can hike, bike, hunt, fish, ski ATV, snowmobile, snowshoe
(28:47):
and ski. We support five G network we have. We're
located on I ninety and we mine three hundred and
nineteen million dollars of valued production medals in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
For come join us.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
I think that goes on the brochure. Sean Up, thank
you so much for being with us today and sharing
all the things that make Wallace so special. You told
us that you are a passionate resident and that absolutely showed,
so thank you so much for your time, Yod.
Speaker 4 (29:16):
Thank you, thank you, and thank you to all our listeners.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Family Vacationer, leave us
a review and follow us on Instagram and substack for
more great family travel tip.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Remember, folks, to keep your hearts and your passports open.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
Save travels everyone.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
Thank you for listening to The Family Vacationer.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
Make sure I like it.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Subscribe to hear more from Robin Tracycy
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.