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Shoshone County - History dates back to 1848 when Father Peter Desmet started to build the Cataldo Mission.  With the help of the Coeur d'Alene Indians, it was completed in 1854.  It is the oldest building still standing in the State of Idaho and remains as an historic site.  Shoshone County is several years older than the State of Idaho itself.  It was established in January 1858 by the territorial government in Washington.  At that time, it was much larger than the present State of Idaho. 

The Silver Valley is located on Interstate 90 between Fourth-of-July Pass and Lookout Pass.  The Silver Valley is a four season mountain recreation destination featuring alpine and cross-country skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling, fishing, mountain biking and climbing, river rafting, canoeing and kayaking, golf, hiking, backpacking, four-wheeling, and hunting. 

Wallace "The Center of the Universe" -The historic mining town of Wallace is nestled beneath Interstate 90, halfway between two ski and recreation areas in northern Idaho's beautiful Silver Valley. The town has long been famous as the "Silver Capital of the World" with 1.2 billion ounces of silver produced in Shoshone county.  Silver mining is still a big part of our economy, but today it is the four-season paradise that attracts outdoor recreation enthusiasts from around the world since 1884.  Wallace is also known for the fact that every downtown building is on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Yes. . . .Wallace is also known as the Center of the Universe. On September 25, 2004 Wallace's Mayor Ron Garitone proclaimed Wallace to be the Center of the Universe. So a sewer access cover was declared to be the precise location of the center of the Universe. A specially made manhole cover was made to mark the spot. It bears the words "Center of the Universe. Wallace, Idaho." This prompted British comedian and  writer Danny Wallace to visit Wallace. He wrote about his visit in the book Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe, published  in 2006. 

Wallace is also featured in the book "A 1000 Place to See Before You Die" in the USA andCanada.

Kellogg - is named after a prospector named Noah Kellogg. Legend has it that his donkey wandered off during the morning of September 4, 1885. Kellogg found the animal at a large outcropping of galena, which became the site of the Bunker Hill and Sullivan

Mines. Those mines led to the founding of Kellogg, a city where a local sign reads "This is the town founded by a jackass and inhabited by his descendants." Noah Kellogg is buried in the city's cemetery.

After nearly a century of bustling activity in the mines, the Bunker Hill Mine closed in 1981, leaving thousands out of work. Other mines reduced operations as well. With the closure of the Bunker Hill Mine, the city had to look elsewhere for its livelyhood.  In response to the challenges presented, the city made a major commitment to alter its own destiny.  The city constructed the longest gondola in the United States and started  the development of the Silverhorn Ski Area, which is now called Silver Mountain Resort, into a year-round recreational facility.  The resort is now privately owned and the city is looking forward to becoming a desitination ski and summer resort area.  New condos are sprouting up all over town and a water park and golf course are  in the works.  

Mullan - The town was named for West Point graduate John Mullan, who was in charge of selecting a wagon route between Fort Benton, Montana and Fort Walla Walla, Washington. Mullan is five miles away from the Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area.

Other towns in the Silver Valley include Cataldo, Kingston, Pinehurst, Smelterville, Osburn, Wardner, Prichard, Murray, Avery, Calder and Clarkia.