Wallace founder’s tombstone returns

Col. William Ross Wallace was formally welcomed back into the North Idaho town he founded amid cannon blasts, flag waving, ballyhoo and one of the greatest parades ever.

The colonel’s comeback last Saturday wasn’t in a physical form, thank goodness.

That’d be zombie creepy since the Civil War hero died at age 67 from some internal malady on Nov. 16, 1901.

No. Wallace returned to Wallace in the form of his 1-ton granite tombstone. The marker was obtained from a collector and hauled up from California earlier this year.

It now rests in perpetuity outside the front door of Wallace’s historic Northern Pacific Railroad depot museum. The monument was ceremoniously installed there following the Founder’s Day parade.

“It’s here hopefully for eternity,” said Jamie Baker, adding in a knock-on-wood tone: “But who knows?”/ Doug Clark , SR. More here.