Yesterday, I made the first pilgrimage to Wallace in over a year. It started out as just a ride around Coeur d' Alene, but all of a sudden I found the car on I-90 and heading over the 4th of July Pass. I told my wife that it would just be a quick jaunt over there and back. I get the urge about twice a year to run over there. I am never sure what I am looking for, and, I never find it, either.
Am I looking for old friends? Most of them have long ago moved to other places and other lives. Most of the ones who were adults when I was growing up there are passed on to another plane.Am I hoping to see my own youth there? Perhaps I will see myself as I looked years ago. I don't know for sure. Maybe I would not even recognize myself if I did see me as I was then.
There we were, and I decided to go in thorough the alley behind the Wallace Inn. Now, that was not always just an alley behind there, but it was a street named Tamarack Street, and I learned to play baseball on that street. I will do a blog about that section of town later, but yesterday, it just brought back a flood of memories of play times and warm summer nights.
Up Tamarack we drove to Cypress, and turned left on 2nd Street. Up, up to Cedar Street, and taking a left, I stopped in front of my childhood home at 218. I see that it is for sale again. My poor father sold it in 1984 for around $30,000, and today it is listed at $ 219,000. It was listed even higher for awhile.
I didn't sit there long, but drove on down the street to the heart of town. I should have said, what is left of town. Making the loop through town in about 2 minutes, I drove over to City Hall so that I could see the plaque presented to Wallace on the Silver Anniversary celebration in 1958. It is a very nice plaque, and I had never noticed it until it was brought to my attention by Donna Murray- Taylor, daughter of the former mayor of Wallace,David Clyde Murray, who was the mayor during the Silver Anniversary celebration. Thank you, Donna.
Next, I drove to see what is left of my old high school. Again, I was sad to see that most of what I knew and loved is gone.
I love Wallace, but I guess it is the memories that I really love. It is kind of like Christmas that way.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
-
Here is a story that I blogged on in April1,2009. I was looking at it today and decided to repost it. It is always bad to lose contact, an...
-
Here it is, the Grand Theater. It once graced the corner across from Morrow's, which is now, of course, the Brooks Hotel. When I was...
5 comments:
Glen, thanks for the kind mention. Glad Col Wallace hasn't been forgotten. That was sweet of you to check out the plaque in the short time you visited.
I picked up a book over the weekend "The Lady, The Legend, The Truth" written by Lana Turner.
The most famous of Wallace residents.
On the same page as Clark Gable, she tells of her first visit home to Wallace, She came for a weekend with her mother. The whole town came out to wish her "Welcome Home, Lana" - the Mayor had even declared a holiday in her honor.
Lana's words: "Riding through the mountains, I had a spell of homesickness...as we approached Wallace, I saw a splendid rainbow ...like a sign of welcome to the town I left when I was six."
While looking for yourself, did you happen to see a rainbow?
But did you see the manhole cover marking the 'Center of the Universe'?
GF, Yes, I saw the cover.We were the Center of the Universe!
Donna, I will have to get a copy of the book-sounds very interesting.
Glen, I just re-read this and it cracked me up.
It sounds like Donna Murray-Taylor was the former mayor. :-) I'd love to own the title myself....but maybe you could change it to read "David Clyde Murray" as former mayor? 1957-1959.
Mayor Clyde Murray served during the Silver Jubilee's 75th celebration of Wallace. If you'd like, I'll have more to share on the SIlver Jubilee of 1958, as I compile it.
The Silver Jubilee has been swept under the carpet for some odd reason, that it's hard to believe it's barely ever mentioned in Wallace's history.
A 4-day non-stop celebration party that was reported on by every prominent newspaper, TV station, and magazine.
It was a national event. Wallace had never seen the likes of it. Or since.
Donna, you are correct. I will re-write it. Thanks.
Post a Comment