Though many of the mines are no longer open, Idaho’s Silver Valley, comprising towns such as Smelterville, Silver Mountain and Wallace, was once the world’s largest producer of silver.
According to one person I talked with “that all changed in 1981 when the EPA came in.” She went on to say that “zinc and lead pay the bills and silver provides the profit.”
Wallace used to be a bustling mining town that was largely rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1910. The town still has a surprising number of hotels and bars and the brick architecture looks great.
Here’s a blurry shot of the moon over Wallace I took after leaving City Lights Pub (recommended):
And here are some shots around the old downtown:
Born in Baltimore and raised in Cincinnati, I have lived on both coasts and driven back and forth across the country a number of times. I now have the "midlife opportunity" to do so on two wheels.
Before the interstate put in an overpass to route itself around Wallace, the main street was a bustling place with a lot more active store fronts. We used to get a crazy smurf blue colored ice cream on our way to Great Falls, Montana. My guess is it must have been huckleberry flavor, but I can’t remember and the shop has long since closed.