Historic Wallace Idaho
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Colonel William R. Wallace |
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After starting the Oreornogo claim (later to be known as the Hecla) in 1883, Colonel William R. Wallace (not a real colonel) purchased eighty acres of land at the confluence of the major canyons near Burke. The land was covered with large cedars and was swampy. He purchased the land with Sioux scrip that was later declared illegal tender, causing property ownership disputes that lasted for years. He built a cabin in 1884 and called the new community Placer Center. His wife, Lucy, arrived in the following year, changed the town's name to Wallace, and became its first postmaster for a population of fourteen people. Colonel Wallace died in 1901, in Wittier, California. The newspaper epitaph only mentioned that he was a cousin to General Wallace, the author of Ben Hur. Idaho's first Territorial Governor in 1863 was named William H. Wallace, but was not related to the town's founder. |
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| Business in Wallace | Modern Wallace |
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| Recreational Opportunities | Photo Album |
| Wallace Festivals | Relocation Information |
| Wallace Homepage | Current Weather |
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