More about our tour and Wallace
 

Your tour begins when you board our sixteen passenger vintage trolley.  On the short trip to and from the mine you will be treated to a narrative of the colorful history of Historic Wallace, Idaho, the Silver Capitol of the World. The city of Wallace, in its entirety, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and still has the feel and flavor of a turn-of-the-century mining camp. Once at the mine, you will be fitted with a hard hat. Before entering the mine, your guide, himself a retired miner, will give a brief overview of the fundamentals of hard-rock mining.  Then into the mine, where exhibits and demonstrations will acquaint you first hand with a hard-rock miner's work and daily experiences. Your guide will explain historic and modern day mining techniques, and demonstrate pneumatic powered mining equipment.  Aside from a short climb up 25 concrete steps to the mine, the 1,000 foot guided tour through the U-shaped tunnel is a comfortable slight decline on a smooth surface with no tight spaces or ups and downs.  Mine History Initially discovered around 1900 the Sierra Mine's ore bodies were never rich enough to warrant active mining. Assays ran about 1/2 ounce of silver per ton of ore mined.  Ownership of the mine changed hands several times. It was sporadically worked until a more thorough exploration took place in the 1960s, which involved sinking an incline shaft and running several hundred feet of drift. The showings failed to improve, and the mine remained idle until it was used as a lab site to teach local high school students mining skills.  In 1982 a group of local businessmen formed the non-profit organization Sierra Silver Mine Tour, Inc. Mission Our mission is to preserve our rich mining history and educate current and future generations as to the history and current practices of hard-rock mining in the Coeur d'Alene Mining District.  We accomplish this by providing an underground experience utilizing historically correct narratives, exhibits, and live demonstrations of mining machinery.

While in Historic Wallace, we invite you to treat yourself to these other points of interest: Northern Pacific Railroad Depot Museum Wallace District Mining Museum Mine Heritage Exhibit (outdoor park at the Visitor's Center) Sixth Street Theater Oasis Bordello Museum Friends of the Coeur d'Alene Trails Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes (parks dept.) Pulaski Project Historic Wallace Chamber of Commerce Way more information on Wallace