Wallace

History

In the spring of 1884, Colonel William R. Wallace built a cabin at a site he called "Placer Center." A Civil War veteran, Wallace was heavily involved in mining ventures after the war. The spot's central location in the mining district clearly offered promise as a town site. In fact, a news sheet published at the time extolled the town's favorable prospects because "it is on the Mullan Road, which is the main emigrant road on the Bitter Root divide." Wallace believed in his new venture and invested money to build access roads, put up lot fences and made other improvements. By the spring of 1885, Placer Center had a grocery store and several other small businesses. Within a year or so, there was also a general store, a sawmill, hotel and more. Wallace and Richard Lockey bought "Sioux half-breed scrip" from a bank in Spokane, Washington to purchase an town site that would become the town of Wallace. Such scrip entitled the holder to "locate" (claim) unoccupied and unsurveyed public lands. Wallace's application for a land patent to secure title to the townsite was submitted to the United States General Land Office (GLO) in Coeur d'Alene on June 5, 1886. The settlement flourished, and by the fall of 1887 when its first school was opened, there were many saloons, one brewery, a large apartment building with a public hall, a hotel, and many stores and shops. On September 10, 1887, a narrow gauge rail line reached Wallace, leading to further growth. Within two years the railroad would offer regular scheduled service. On May 2, 1888, a group of citizens petitioned Shoshone County's county commissioners for the town's incorporation, now to be called "Wallace", after the Colonel. Wallace was appointed one of the five trustees of the new town. The letter reporting this action…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land. Wallace has a continental Mediterranean climate (Köppen Dsb) with warm summers and cold, snowy winters. Winters are relatively moderate for an inland location so far north, although heavy rainfall often occurs when mild Pacific air penetrates inland, as in January 1974 when of precipitation occurred including on the 16th. July 1973 to June 1974 was also the wettest "rain year", receiving , whilst the driest rain year from July 2000 to June 2001 saw only . The most snowfall has been in January 1969; July 1968 to June 1969 also saw the maximum annual snowfall at . When cold air comes from Canada, temperatures can become severe, with the record low being on December 30, 1968. The coldest month since records began in 1941 has been January 1949 with an average of ; the hottest has been July 2007 with a daily mean of and a mean maximum of .

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• SILVER HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · OSBURN · 298 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• WALLACE JR/SR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · WALLACE · 214 students · 11.3:1 ratio
• MULLAN SCHOOLS
  Other · MULLAN · 85 students · 6.5:1 ratio