Northern Pacific Depot Railroad Museum

Wallace's depot dates to the era when two railroads competed for the Coeur d'Alene mining traffic. A narrow gauge line reached the young town on September 10, 1887, with regular scheduled service following within two years; in time the Oregon-Washington Railway & Navigation Co. (Union Pacific) served Wallace from the west, while the Northern Pacific arrived from the east over Lookout Pass on its branch to the mainline at St. Regis, Montana. The NP's chateau-style depot here was designed by Reed and Stem — the firm first engaged as architects for New York's Grand Central Terminal — and built in 1902. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and in 1986 it was moved 300 feet south to escape demolition during Interstate 90 construction. Restored at Sixth and Pine streets, it now serves as the local railroad museum, interpreting Silver Valley railroading as an Idaho Centennial state historic site. The rails themselves are gone — the NP line east of town was abandoned in 1980 and Union Pacific gave up the route in 1992 — and the old grade lives on as the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes rail trail.