Historic Wallace Idaho

Center of the Universe

This concept had its impromptu origin in 2004 as a sarcastic critique by an international crowd of Silver Summit attendees of the EPA's lead-headed 2002 Record of Decision which said, in essence, that if a thing cannot be disproven, it is thereby proven. The anniversary of the Mayor's proclamation that Wallace MUST be the Center of the Universe because you can't PROVE otherwise was naturally celebrated. In the following year, the event included crowning the Princess of the Center of the Universe and marrying high school sweethearts forty years later. In 2007, a dedicated volunteer committee morphed the celbration into a wildly succesfully scholarship drive with Miss Center of the Universe and Mr. Hard Rock contests, where votes were dollars gathered in jars. A non-profit corporation was established to manage the expanded scholarship fund raiser in 2008. Center of the Universe, Inc., is an Idaho non-profit corporation with an Idaho Secretary of State Organizational ID/Filing Number of C179994.
 

click to enlarge the Probalistic Center of the Universe in Wallace, Idaho Welcome to the Center of the Universe!

Located at the intersection of Bank and Sixth Streets in historic downtown Wallace, Idaho, is the "Probalistic Center of the Universe." Be seen with friends, family or even the local wildlife and forevermore be able to proclaim that you have stood at the Center of the Universe and survived to tell about it.

The Center of the Universe monument was officially dedicated by His Honor, Wallace Mayor Ron Garitone, September 25th, 2004.

The Center of the Universe was celebrated again at this intersection on the evening of Saturday, September 23, following conclusion of Silver Summit 2006, itself an international celebration of the silver mining industry and the companies who explore for, mine, and refine that noble metal.

We were happy to see so many people join us for a fun evening of awards, live music, dancing, and general merriment as we toasted the Center of the Universe and young love.

On September 22, 2007, following a very well attended Silver Summit 2007 in nearby Coeur d'Alene, Wallace again celebrated its unique location at the center of all things. However, this year the Princess Pageant was morphed into a community service festival, where a dozen contestants for Miss. Center of the Universe and Mr. Hardrock collected over $4000 to initiate a scholarship program for local high school students. The winners are shown below.
Origin of the Center of the Universe in Wallace, Idaho
 
click to buy Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe from Amazon.com


Jump to Link Table
click to open a larger photo in a separate window of Danny Wallace and Greg Marsh at the Center of the Universe
Author Danny Wallace and Greg Marsh at the Center of the Universe, October 2005 		click to open a larger photo in a separate window of Mayor Ron Garitone marrying a couple at the Center of the Universe
Mayor Ron presides at the first wedding at the Center of the Universe, October 2005 		click to enlarge photo by Fred Bentley in separate window
Lisa Siri, 2006 Princess of the Center of the Universe
click to enlarge photo by Fred Bentley in separate window
Jerome Bunde, Pennaluna stockbroker, marries his high-school sweetheart at the Center of the Universe on September 23, 2006 		click to enlarge photo by Greg Marsh in separate window
Ray Demotte, Stirling Mining Company, waits to crown the Princess of the Center of the Universe
click to enlarge photo by Fred Bentley in separate window
However, Dave Bond of silverminers.com steps forward to do the honors at the Center of the Universe 		click to enlarge photo by Fred Bentley in separate window
Mayor Ron stands on his claim to be the Center of the Universe 		click to enlarge photo by Fred Bentley in separate window
Diane Houston of Attic Treasures presents the Princess with a jewelry gift certificate at the Center of the Universe
click to enlarge Jennifer Newkirk in a separate window
Jennifer Newkirk was crowned Miss. Center of the Universe 2007 on September 22, 2007 		click to enlarge photo of George Houchin in separate window
George Houchin, Mr. Hardrock 2007, is a miner at the Lucky Friday in Mullan
 

The Mayor's Proclamation

I, Ron Garitone, Mayor of Wallace, Idaho, and all of its subjects, and being of sound body and mind, do hereby solemnly declare and proclaim Wallace to be the Center of the Universe.

Thanks to the newly discovered science of "Probalism" - specifically probalistic modeling, pioneered by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Welfare, and peer-reviewed by La Cosa Nostra and the Flat Earth Society - we were further able to pinpoint the exact center within the Center of the Universe; to wit: a sewer access cover slightly off-center from the intersection of Bank and Sixth Streets.

Upon discovering this desecration of the Center of the Universe, we proceeded forthwith to remove said manhole cover and replace it with this fine Monument, directing all who come upon it to the Four Corners of the Universe, these being the Bunker Hill, the Sunshine, the Lucky Friday and the Galena Mines. Let the courses of all who foray upon these vectors into the known and unknown be forever illuminated by the brilliant, shimmering gleamings of silver, lead and zinc to their destinations, wherever they may be.

The science of Probalism has its roots in the 2002 EPA Coeur d'Alene Basin Record of Decision, and as a syllogism expresses itself thusly: if a thing cannot be disproven, it is thereby proven. Thus if the communities of the Silver Valley cannot absolutely prove themselves to the EPA's satisfaction to be good and healthy places to live, then this is proof that they require the EPA's continued meddling in their affairs.

Similarly, after a search of the literature, our government-contracted scientists in Moscow, Boise and Seattle have, after years of diligence, been unable to unearth one scintilla of proof that Wallace is NOT the Center of the Universe. In the absence of such proof, we are compelled to conclude that Wallace must therefore BE the Center of the Universe.

And it is hereby so ordered and declared, this year 2004, this date, September 25th, this hour, 9:00 PM WUT (Wallace Universal Time).

 
February-July 2009 silver spot price chart courtesy of NW Territorial Mint From 1884 through 2008, the Silver Valley produced 1.211 BILLION OUNCES OF SILVER. In 2008, 5.03 million ounces were produced, a 17.5% increase over 2007. Along with the silver, 20,483 tons of lead, 9,386 tons of zinc, and 437 tons of copper were extracted in 2008 from a mile below the Silver Valley. As the richest silver producing area in the world, the soil in the Silver Valley is naturally high in lead... lead sulfide, or galena, a hard black rock. Lead oxide, a white powder, dumped on Kellogg and Smelterville by the negligent smelter operator 35 years ago was the dangerous contamination that the EPA was tasked with cleaning up. And they did a great job within the nation's largest Super Fund Site! But then they lingered... looking for work in the entire river basin. Measuring TOTAL lead in the lawns of Wallace as an excuse to replace everyone's lawn was and is a horrible waste of taxpayers' money. You see, the mud used to chink the logs at the Cataldo Mission in 1853, 30 years before the first mine, also has lead in it... lead sulfide. Lead sulfide is what thousands of miners have been blowing up and mucking away to the surface for the last 125 years. Funny how none of them have high lead blood levels... To claim that lead sulfide is just as dangerous as lead oxide is as silly as saying that hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell) is only as dangerous as hydrogen oxide (water).
Mining Companies associated with the Silver Valley. Books about Hard Rock Mining

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Dates indicate when the content or structure of a page was modified.
Wallace History
June 06, 2003 		Modern Wallace
October 10, 2008
Recreational Opportunities
October 29, 2008 		Photo Album
December 29, 2003
Wallace Business
March 03, 2010 		Relocation Information
April 23, 2008
Wallace Festivals
March 12, 2010 		Today's Weather
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December 23, 2009
Wallace Homepage
March 21, 2010 		This Center of the Universe page was last modified on August 31, 2009.

new item     Thank you for your time and interest in Wallace Idaho. From January 1, 2002, through December 31, 2009, 3,717,694 successful page requests were recorded and analyzed. As documented in the 2009 Annual Traffic Report, these page requests imply visitation by ~879,000 humans over the 96 month period. More than 110,000 of these visits were made in 2009. Google Analytics says that 84% of all 2009 visits were new. This implies that more than 17 thousand of you looked at pages in this domain more than once in 2009. Thank you. This show of interest in a town with a population of 960 is very gratifying.

If you are a regular visitor, you know that this website is a twelve year work in progress, from which I receive only trivial financial rewards. If you have found my efforts useful to you over the years, please consider making this the path you take when you go shopping at amazon.com. I receive a 4% to 6% commission on items purchased through their secure shopping cart when you enter from Historic Wallace Idaho. Thank you for your support.
Greg Marsh

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Wallace is at the center of a universe filled with mountain recreation and Old West history that you will want to visit more than once. Please tell me what you would like to see on this and other pages at my Historic Wallace Idaho webworks.
Greg Marsh, Ph.D.
    doing business as     Marsh Scientific Services is Greg Marsh 		greg4mss@hotmail.com

Please visit my other websites and websuites:
  • Northern Idaho's Silver Valley      Four Season Mountain Recreation Paradise:
    two ski resorts, two long bike trails, a dozen alpine lakes, bountiful wildlife and backcountry solitude in harmony with 126 years of mining history and legend
    silver-valley.com homepage updated February 20, 2010
click to see the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes
click to see the Route of the Hiawatha
  • click to see THE MINER by Hal Payne
    Hal Payne
    Wallace's Master Doll Artist is now capturing Silver Valley history in bronze
    homepage updated April 27, 2004
Bill White, 1929-2008
Bill White's story:
Escape From Islas Marias

Marsh Scientific Services is Greg Marsh ©1998-2010, Marsh Scientific Services, Greg Marsh, Ph.D.
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