The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1923-09-20
REAL WALLACE PIONEER
MRS. LUCE A. WALLACE
SOMETHING ABOUT FIRST WOMAN
RESIDENT, NOW LIVING IN
SEATTLE.

The Miner has received clipping
from the Seattle star of recent date
containing picture of Mrs Lucie a.
Wallace, wife of Colonel w. r. Wal
lace. founder of this city and in whose
honor il was named The Star is con-
Quoting some sort of history con-
test" in which pioneers of the west
are invited to enter a contest ON some
basis or other. Mrs Wallace was the
first woman TO make her home in Wal
lace, coming here in 1889 She lived
in cabin that stood at the head of
sixth street. occupying "a bench that
was cut down for the construction of
the White e. Bender warehouse Fol
lowing the plating of the town by
Colonel Wallace Mrs. Wallace secured
the corner-now occupied by the Smoke
house and erected thereon "a two
story frame building Up to that time
the settlement had been called Placer
Center but when the postofiice was
established it was called Wallace and
Mrs Wallace was named the first
postmaster The postohice was placed
in the corner and in connection with
which Mrs Wallace conducted sta
tionery and tobacco store. The rear
room of the building fronting ON Bank
street. was occupied boy O G.. Otterson
with general store i'm 1887 this being
the beginning OF the present Otterson
company. In 1855 the Wallace town
site was Jumped" and in the long
contest that followed i'm the interior
department over title to the property
Colonel Wallace finally lost Incl
dentally it is recalled that his attor-
ney in this contest was Captain John
Mulan. of wagon road fame Although
the contest over the townsite developed
much bitterness in the little commun-
ity. Mrs. Wallace is kindly remembered
10y those who participated i'm the stirr-
ing events of those pioneer days In
connection with Mrs Walace's entry
into the contest the Star SAYS:
One of the first pioneers to enter
The star Pacific Northwest History
contest is Mrs. Lucie A. Wallace,
founder of the city of Wallace, Idaho.
and a resident of Seattle for the past
26 years.
Mrs. Wallace who is rs, crossed the
plains i'm the winter of 1878 i'm prairie
schooner to Leadville, Colo The party
was forced to camp in the deep snow
beside the trail From Greeley, Colo
to Leadville the party was forced to
travel for 16 days Mrs. Wallace was
the sixth white woman to enter the
city.
In 1884 she and her husband. a col
onel of infantry in the civil war
founded the city of Placer Center This
later became Wallace. Idaho. Mrs
Wallace was first postmistress of the
town and her salary was % cents "a
week.
1.-THE country was overrun with
bears pheasants and cougars Mrs.
Wallace related Wednesday. zone
night big owl came into our shed and
carried away the cat" Many a cougar
has been put to flight 10y her shotgun.
Mrs Wallace came to Seattle in 1897
and year later decided to make her
way to Alaska. she arrived at Skag-
way with % cents i'm her pocSetbook
but soon had established herself i'm a
general store and was successful
she has sold all of her property i'm
Wallace and aow resides alone at i+iG
25th ave She still has considerable
property in Alaska from which she de-
lives a comfortable revenue.
q figure I'm somewhat of a pioneer
but YOU can use your own judgment"
said Mrs Wallace Wednesday.