History buffs, unite!

WALLACE — If there’s one thing the city of Wallace — and the Silver Valley as a whole — isn’t short on, it’s history. Almost every building in town seems to have some sort of rich background or captivating story.

In a continuing effort to celebrate and share these unique stories, the Wallace Chamber of Commerce is once again hosting the annual Fall for History event from Oct. 3-6.

Now in its fourth year, Fall for History is primed to outdo itself yet again with a four-day lineup of local history themed activities.

All the fun will start on Thursday at the Barnard-Stockbridge Museum, 312 Fourth St., Wallace, for a Fall for History Kickoff and Social. History buffs will meet at 7 p.m. and listen to Barnard-Stockbridge chairman Bruce Flohr give a small presentation on Nellie Stockbridge and the rest of the collection.

Stockbridge and Thomas Nathan “TN” Barnard are known far and wide for their photographic documentation of the Silver Valley and its surrounding areas.

They documented common things — such as everyday life, fashion, landscapes and even made several trips into the various mines to capture what the world was like for Shoshone County residents at the time.

On Friday, the day’s activities will begin with a lecture at the Wallace Mining Museum from Wallace resident Vicki Allmann, known for her portrayal of May Hutton in local reenactments. Allmann will share her tricks to being a captivating story teller at 2 p.m.

Around the corner at the Sierra Silver Mine Tour, local historian Mike Feiler will begin a “Dante’s Peak” walking tour at 3:30 p.m. of Wallace and point of the various filming sites. “Dante’s Peak,” a 1997 adventure film starring Pierce Brosnan, was filmed almost entirely in Wallace and involved the fictional town of Dante’s Peak being threatened — and eventually destroyed — by a nearby volcano.

To end the night, Dan Everhart of the Idaho Historical Society will speak to guests at 7 p.m. at the Sixth Street Theater about how businesses may qualify for tax breaks for historic preservation.

Saturday kicks off with two activities occurring at 10 a.m.

At the Wallace Mining Museum, the Silver Valley Writers group will share prose and poems of Wallace and the Silver Valley.

“Every year they come and do different readings,” said Tammy Copelan, museum director.

Across downtown at the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot lawn, Gravis Tech owner Sera White will begin a “then and now” app tour of Wallace. Those who attend will utilize their smartphones to travel back in time and see what used to be in certain areas of town.

The app has its roots in the “Tour the Missing Buildings of Wallace” website, that White and Chuck Tatman began working on in early 2018. The app allows visitors to see a before and after view of certain parts of the city with just a click of the mouse or swipe of the finger.

At 11 a.m., Frontier Regulars — reenactors from the Spokane area — will be stopping by Wallace Mining Museum. They will provide visitors with information about the historic buffalo soldiers and their involvement in this region.

NPR Depot Museum director Shauna Hillman says that the Frontier Regulars and other Civil War reenactors will also be camped out on the museum lawn all weekend.

The Wallace Chamber of Commerce recently became sister chambers with the Black Chamber of Commerce of Orange County due in large part to their joint involvement with the Iron Riders event in June. The unique event recognizes the efforts of 20 black soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 25th Infantry Regiment that rode 1,900 miles on bicycles from Missoula, Mont., to St. Louis, Mo., more than 118 years ago.

Also at 11 a.m., Brenda Johnson of Johnson’s Gems will speak at her business about Idaho gemstones.

If guns and firearms are more up your alley, Civil War reenactor and vintage weapons expert James Teague will speak at the Wallace Mining Museum at 1 p.m. about 19th century weaponry.

Fall for History attendees can then see at 3 p.m. how injuries caused by the firearms they just learned about were treated.

“We’ll be out here in Mike Inman’s tent outside the museum, so that you can get a feel for what they were doing medically back then,” Hillman said. “Cutting bones off, cutting legs off during war time and outdoors.”

Hillman adds that no actual amputations are planned — probably.

Fitting in with the slightly morbid theme of the medical lesson, a trolley is set to leave the NPR Depot Museum at noon to take folks to the old Nine Mile Cemetery. It’s there that a tour guide will introduce guests to actors portraying many of the notable and notorious people buried there. Admission for this activity benefits the nonprofit Cemetery Association.

To end the day, dinner theater will be held at the Wallace Firehouse starting at 6 p.m. The actresses will be portraying “proper ladies” of the Civil War era depicting what was known as proper behavior and mannerisms.

The final day of the event will first feature a walking tour of Wallace, starting at the NPR Depot Museum, by Hillman at 11 a.m. where she will dispel some of the common myths of the town.

Then from noon to 4 p.m., those who reserved spaces will be invited to tour five historic Wallace homes, a new museum and a church while ending at the Wallace Carnegie Library. The Historic Homes and Hot Tea tour will begin at the Barnard-Stockbridge Museum.

With Fall for History right around the corner, Copelan is really looking forward to showing off and seeing the new additions compared to previous years.

“It’s going to be great this year, as always. There’s a few more workshops than normal and we’ve also added another museum. We have different homes this year on the tour as well, and that’s always seen as the crown jewel of the event.”

Tickets for the event are available at the Wallace Chamber of Commerce Office or at the NPR Depot Museum.