The Colonel has returned
Photo by CHANSE WATSON From left: Carla Tulles Heath (the great-great-granddaughter of Colonel William Ross Wallace), Laura Heath Hodgings (the great-great-great-granddaughter) and Colonel Wallace (John Turner) pose with the dedicated headstone monument at the Northern Pacific Depot Railroad Museum.
Union soldiers (Civil War reenactors with the Washington Civil War Association) from Battery I and Battery M with other prominent figures from the Civil War era after the headstone dedication.
Keeping with military tradition, President Abraham Lincoln (Keith Deaton) presents the “Wallace” family with a U.S. flag, recognizing and honoring Col. Wallace’s service to a grateful nation.
Battery I and M fire their cannons as Col. Wallace’s headstone is revealed.
The headstone of Wallace’s namesake has finally returned home.
After 115 years, 1,300 miles, loads of historical research, and a little luck, the grave marker of Col. William Ross Wallace finally received a proper dedication Saturday afternoon at the Northern Pacific Depot Railroad Museum (NPDRM).
The dedication ceremony, that took place after a massive parade earlier in the day, was well attended by history buffs and Wallace admirers alike.
Guests of honor at the ceremony included President Abraham Lincoln (portrayed by Keith Deaton), Mary Todd Lincoln (Sandy Terry), General Ulysses S. Grant (Don McConnell), and two artillery batteries of union soldiers (Batteries I and M consisting of members from the 1st Michigan Light Artillery apart of the Washington Civil War Association).
Even Col. Wallace (John Turner) himself rose from the dead to check out festivities.
Most notably of all though was the presence of Carla Tulles Heath and Laura Heath Hodgings, the Great-Great-Granddaughter and Great-Great-Great-Granddaughter of Col. Wallace, respectively.
The two direct descendants of Col. Wallace were on hand to not only witness the unveiling of the headstone at the NPDRM, but were also presented a U.S. flag by President Lincoln himself.
The purpose of this time-honored military tradition of presenting an American flag to the family of a deceased U.S. serviceman or woman is to honor the fallen and acknowledge their sacrifice to the county.
Before the unveiling, Col. Wallace (John Turner) spoke to the crowd and told them about a few of his accomplishments and his contributions to the city and the Silver Valley as a whole.
Then just like that, the cloth was removed from the headstone to the chorus of canon fire from Batteries I and M (taking a few attendants by surprise with the loud noise).
NPDRM Director Shauna Hillman could not have been happier with how the ceremony went.
“The event was a huge success, gauging by the turnout,” Hillman said.
“Even the sunny weather offered its approval.”
Hillman also stressed the importance of historical events such as this one and paid respect to the towns namesake.
“Every community needs to discover and celebrate its heritage. Wallace is exceptional in this regard. Thanks to the wealth of its ores and the grit of its founders and their successors, it remains a living, breathing monument to nature’s bounty and beauty, and a continuing source of fascination to modern-day historians. To Col. Wallace, who founded our town by whatever means he could, we owe a debt of gratitude.”
The means by which Col. Wallace’s headstone returned to Wallace for this celebration could be described as slightly bizarre.
Detailed out in Wallace native Tony Bamonte’s book, “Historic Wallace, Idaho and My Unforeseen Ties,” Wallace’s headstone resided in Mount Olive Cemetery until 1968 when the city of Whittier decided to clear the cemetery due to a lack of “upkeep and use.”
The headstone, along with the others from that cemetery, was stored behind Pio Pico Mansion until 2001 when it was transferred to the Whittier Museum.
Bamonte states that he attempted to procure Wallace’s headstone from the museum, but they never got back to him.
Four years later, the museum no longer wanted the headstones (calling them a safety hazard), so it was decided that they were to be given away.
After being told this tale from Bamonte, a Spokane history buff by the name of Chuck King, took initiative and tracked down the headstone’s new owner in Acton, California.
The owner, Dale Bybee, was using it and three other headstones to create a fake memorial cemetery as a ploy to halt the construction of a rail line through his property.
Once King reached out to Bybee regarding the headstone, Bamonte said that “Bybee was pleased to be contacted about it and wanted to ‘make sure it was forwarded to the city of Wallace where it would receive the preservation effort it deserves.’”
With some long hours invested by Wallace residents and fellow history buffs, Jamie and Barbra Baker, the nearly one-ton headstone finally returned to town after a week-long drive.
The rest, is history.
Col. William Ross Wallace’s headstone can now be seen out side of the NPDRM.
For more information on the ceremony or Col. Wallace, visit the NPDRM or check out Bamonte’s book (which is available at the NPDRM).