TaterTOT--Around Wallace
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Wallace is a lively little town with a colorful past and current sense of humor.
Wallace is one of the few towns in the world with a bordello museum. Maybe it is because there were so many here. Anyway, they are all gone now, the last one closing in 1988.
The Red Light Garage is a restaurant that capitalizes on that theme.
There are other interesting places to eat, formerly in the trade, such as the 1313 Club.
Once you have eaten, you might want to explore around Wallace and experience first hand some of the local history. Just up the street from the 1313 Club is the base for a tour down a silver mine with a guide who spent his life down there.
Wallace is surrounded by tree covered steep mountains. In 1910, the area experienced the worst forest fire in U.S. history, the Big Burn. Ranger Ed Pulaski, based in Wallace, led 45 of his men trapped by the fire into a mine tunnel and saved all but five. You can follow their footsteps to that tunnel on a trail just outside of town.
Most men stayed behind to save the town while women and children were evacuated on the last train to leave Wallace.
Another major player in early Wallace was the Northern Pacific Railroad. Visit the Depot Museum to learn some of the intriguing story.
And if you want once last ride before leaving Wallace, head past the museum, under the freeway, and straight up to Dobson Pass.