Wallace throws party to celebrate return of founder’s tombstone

The city of Wallace is throwing a party Saturday to celebrate the return of its founder’s tombstone.

“We are trying to organize the biggest parade in town since Teddy Roosevelt was here in 1903,” said Jamie Baker, one of the organizers.

So far, more than 500 people have signed up to participate in the 1 p.m. parade.

“That’s a lot, since Wallace only has about 800 people,” said Dave Copeland, coordinator for the Historic Wallace Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s typical Wallace, very quirky,” he said. The tombstone of Col. William Ross Wallace is being moved to “a place of honor” after and local residents needed “no further excuse” to have a good time, he said.

The parade will accompany the tombstone to its new resting spot by the Northern Pacific Depot Railroad Museum. A free community picnic begins at 2 p.m., followed by activities throughout the afternoon.

Wallace was a decorated Civil War veteran who sought his fortune in mining camps across the West. He came to Idaho’s Silver Valley in the 1880s and bought the land where the townsite now lies. But unbeknownst to him, the cash he used was counterfeit, according to the chamber’s account.

Wallace left the area under a cloud of suspicion. He died in 1901 in Whittier, California. When the cemetery was turned into a city park, the tombstones and some of the bodies were removed.

Spokane history buffs Tony Bamonte and Chuck King tracked down the tombstone, which was in the hands of a collector, in 2016. They arranged to have the 1-ton granite slab returned to Wallace.

For more information about Saturday’s events, visit the chamber’s website.