Center of the Universe

The historic mining town of Wallace, with a population of 960, is a great day trip from the Coeur d'Alene area. On I-90, just west of the Idaho / Montana border at Lookout Pass, Wallace is known as the Silver Capital of the World - having produced 1.2 billion ounces of silver in the county since 1884. In recent years the mayor proclaimed it to be the Center of the Universe and so far no one has challenged his claim. Wallace has the distinction of being the location of the very last stoplight on the entire Interstate 90 system from Seattle to Boston, although the interstate was diverted over the town instead of through it back in the 1990s. There's even a bordello museum which recognizes the early entrepreneurs of the city. Every downtown building is on the register of National Historic Places and the visitor center is located in the historic railway depot, which is shown here.