The journey continues

We are still trying to catch up from the days we didn't have internet access. On Monday when we left Kellogg Idaho the next town in our way was Wallace Idaho. Wallace is also an old silver mining town with a lot of history. In 1910 a forest fire swept through the area, when it was finished it became the largest forest fire in the history of the United States, over 3 million acres had been charred and a good part of Wallace was destroyed. The town immediately began to rebuild and the common material used was brick. Most of the buildings in the downtown date to the 1910/1911 period. The next threat to the downtown area was the Interstate Highway System. The original plan was to go right through the heart of the downtown, bulldozing everything in its path. The town fathers weren't too keen on this idea so they organized a drive and put every building in the downtown on the Historical Register. This move required the highway to be relocated as a building on the Historical Register can't be demolished. The solution was an elevated highway over the city and the building stayed intact. Wallace was also the filming location for the movie Dante's Peak. Lana Turner, the actress, lived in Wallace as a little girl.  Mr. Canon and I took a walking tour of the downtown and here is some of what we saw.

First was the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot, it was completed in 1902 and moved from its original location in 1986. Notice the highway overpass in the background.

A row of brick building opposite the depot.

The US Bank building.

Another block of buildings.

This building was originally a bank and now serves as an insurance office.

A look down Cedar street.

Cedar street looking east.

The local hardware store. 

Looking back towards the depot.

Another block of interesting buildings. With today's building all being built as square boxes with windows, it's nice to see some real architecture for a change.

After the the little walking tour we headed east and the next stop is where we are now in Deer Lodge Montana, a town with it's own history, which we have been exploring. Today will be another day of visiting the sites in an effort to enjoy the good life.