The annual Huckleberry Festival provides a tasty excuse to visit North Idaho's historic silver-mining town

click to enlarge The annual Huckleberry Festival provides a tasty excuse to visit North Idaho's historic silver-mining town
Kirk Fisher photo
Historic downtown Wallace, Idaho

One should never feel the need to test the authenticity of a friendship. But should you be having doubts over someone you thought was your BFF, ask them this question: Where do you go huckleberry hunting? If they're hesitant to share, well, you have your answer.

Huckleberries are liquid gold in the Inland Northwest. Bakers turn them into seasonal pies and other sweet treats. Chefs transform them into glazes and purees.

Here, huckleberries aren't merely hunted, gathered and consumed; they're celebrated. Between Aug. 9 and Sept. 7, seven huckleberry festivals are held — two in Washington, two in Idaho and three in Montana. An hour and 15 minutes from downtown Spokane, the 40th annual Wallace Huckleberry Festival (Aug. 15-17) provides an opportunity to not only honor the huckleberry but also tour a town that's on the National Register of Historic Places.

click to enlarge The annual Huckleberry Festival provides a tasty excuse to visit North Idaho's historic silver-mining town
Billy McDonald photo
The Sunshine Miners Memorial commemorates the 1972 Sunshine Mine disaster.

Huckleberry Festival weekend includes a huckleberry pancake breakfast, dozens of food and craft vendors, live music, carnival games, and a 5k race. While the festival takes place in Wallace's downtown core, it's wise to bring comfortable walking shoes because the town is worth exploring.

One popular selfie location is in the middle of the street where Bank and Sixth meet. There, one finds a manhole cover designating Wallace as the "Center of the Universe." The declaration was made in 2004 by then-Mayor Ron Garitone since, he said, nobody could prove his claim was wrong. (Disclaimer: We are not suggesting you take a selfie in the middle of an intersection.)

Other spots worth checking out in Wallace include:

  • 4 The Northern Pacific Railroad Depot Museum (adults $5, families $10), featuring chateau-style architecture and exhibits detailing the history of railroading in the Coeur d'Alene Mining District.
  • 4 The scenic stair system, with staircases ranging from 76 to 84 steps that start at the bases of numbered streets from Third through Seventh and climb to the forest surrounding Wallace. Wildlife sightings are common.
  • 4 The Oasis Bordello Museum, for a look at fashion trends of another era, of course.
click to enlarge The annual Huckleberry Festival provides a tasty excuse to visit North Idaho's historic silver-mining town
Michelle Johnson photo

But it wasn't railroad tracks, staircases or, ahem, ladies of the night that put Wallace on the map. Wallace claimed a designation beyond "Center of the Universe" — that being "Silver Capital of the World" — by drilling... and drilling... and more drilling.

A good way to learn about silver mining in the town is to stop by the Wallace Visitor Center and explore the adjacent Mine Heritage Exhibition. It's an outdoor exhibit in a park along the Coeur d'Alene River's south fork.

For a more immersive experience, hop on a trolley (adults $20, 60-plus $17, children 4-16 $10, under 4 free) and head 1 mile north of downtown to the Sierra Silver Mine. There, one of five retired miners will guide you through part of an underground silver mine.

Ward Lister is among the quintet of guides and draws from his experiences to tell the story of mining in Wallace. After demonstrating some of the tools used by miners, describing the long days of work and detailing how Idaho far surpassed other states in silver mining, Lister was asked why Nevada, and not Idaho, is known as the "Silver State."

click to enlarge The annual Huckleberry Festival provides a tasty excuse to visit North Idaho's historic silver-mining town
Michelle Johnson photo
Retired miner Ward Lister guides tours at the Sierra Silver Mine.

"Makes no sense to me," he said. "I guess they just claimed it first."

Claims about claims, it would seem, can be difficult to document.

The trolley trip to the mine passes by the Historic Nine Mile Cemetery. The cemetery is worth a stop for its scenic beauty and to view the sections devoted to heroes from every American conflict since the Civil War.

Also buried there are some victims of the Sunshine Mine fire of 1972, which saw carbon monoxide, heat, smoke and gas spread through the mine. Eighty-five miners managed to make it to safety. Ninety-one did not. (Note: A stop at the Sunshine Miners Memorial, between Kellogg and Wallace, is worthwhile for anyone planning to take the Sierra Silver Mine tour. Informational signs provide good background, and a 13-foot-tall statue of a miner is a worthy photo op.)

The trolley ride back into Wallace from the Sierra Silver Mine includes a brief tour of the town — a town worth a visit while the weather is nice and the huckleberries are in season.