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Idaho County
Shoshone County, Idaho
Wallace - the Silver Capital of the World and the center of the universe - from Wallace's silver mining heritage (the Silver Valley of Shoshone County has produced more silver than any other district in the United States - the Bunker Hill, Sunshine, Lucky Friday, and Galena mines collectively produced billions of ounces of silver from the 1880s through the 20th century, making the Coeur d'Alene Mining District one of the richest in American history) to the 1972 Sunshine Mine fire (the worst hard rock mining disaster in modern American history - 91 miners died when fire swept through the Sunshine Mine - a tragedy that defined a generation of Silver Valley families and led to significant improvements in underground mine safety) and Wallace's claim as the center of the universe (a brass cap in the middle of the main intersection, installed by the city, officially designates Wallace as the center of the universe).
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Office: Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office – 700 Bank Street, Wallace, ID 83873. Driver’s licensing services are also located at the Sheriff’s Department. Additional municipal police departments serve Kellogg, Wallace, and Osburn, collaborating with the Sheriff’s Office on major investigations.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-90 serves Wallace, the county seat, in the Silver Valley of the Idaho Panhandle, alongside the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River; Kellogg is the county’s largest city.
Notes: Shoshone County was first formed January 9, 1861, under Washington Territory in anticipation of a gold rush following the October 1860 discovery of gold near Pierce; it was reorganized in 1864 and named for the Shoshone tribe. At its original 1861 formation, the county’s boundaries were vast, covering all land north of the Snake River between the Columbia River and the Rocky Mountains up to the Canadian border. The county seat moved several times through its mining-boom history: Pierce, then Murray (1884-1885), then Osburn (1890), before finally settling in Wallace (1898).
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Shoshone County Courthouse – 700 Bank Street, Wallace, ID.
Notes: Shoshone County is genuinely known as the “Silver Capital of the World,” having produced more silver – over 1.2 billion ounces since 1884 – than any other mining district in United States history, making the Silver Valley one of the top three most valuable silver-mining districts in the entire world. Wallace itself is remarkable: every downtown building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 2004 the town’s mayor officially proclaimed Wallace the “Center of the Universe,” reasoning (with tongue firmly in cheek) that since no one could definitively disprove it, the claim must be true – a beloved local quirk still celebrated today. The county’s mining history includes genuine labor conflict: 1892 wage protests and 1899 disputes with the Bunker Hill & Sullivan mill both escalated to the point that the U.S. Army was called in to restore order; former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg was assassinated in 1905, nearly five years after leaving office, in a case that drew national attention through the ensuing trials. A large portion of the county, including parts of Wallace, burned in the catastrophic Great Fire of 1910. Wyatt Earp, the famed Western lawman, lived in the district with his brothers James and Warren in 1884 during its early mining days.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Shoshone County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via shoshonecounty.id.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Wallace Public Library (Wallace) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Historic downtown Wallace (entirely listed on the National Register of Historic Places), Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg (skiing), the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, and the historic gold-rush ghost town of Murray (with the Sprag Pole Inn Museum) are the county’s premier heritage and recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine, beloved “Center of the Universe” designation for Wallace, alongside the county’s status as the “Silver Capital of the World,” are among the most distinctive and fun local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Shoshone County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via shoshonecounty.id.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via shoshonecounty.id.gov; Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Shoshone County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via shoshonecounty.id.gov.
NOTES: Shoshone County is the forty-first county completed in Idaho’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, beloved “Center of the Universe” designation for Wallace and the county’s status as the “Silver Capital of the World” are among the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Shoshone County
Shoshone County is the Silver Capital of the World – the Coeur d’Alene Mining District produced more silver than any other US district, and the 1972 Sunshine Mine fire that killed 91 miners is the darkest day in the Silver Valley’s extraordinary mining history. Wallace’s brass “center of the universe” marker adds a charmingly absurd coda.
Wallace (the county seat, population ~700) is one of America’s most intact Victorian mining towns – its entire downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Shoshone County Assessor at 700 Bank Street, Suite 120, Wallace, ID 83873, phone 208-752-1202. ID homeowner’s exemption up to $125,000.
Courts & Legal
Shoshone County District Court at 700 Bank Street, Wallace, ID 83873, phone 208-752-1266, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK / ADMINISTRATOR
700 Bank St., Wallace, ID 83873
(208) 752-1264
CLERK OF COURT (Records, Marriage Licenses)
700 Bank St., Wallace, ID 83873
(208) 752-1264
ELECTIONS / CLERK
700 Bank St., Wallace, ID 83873
(208) 752-1264
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Shoshone County Magistrate Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Wallace’s historic district and mining museums document the county’s Silver Valley heritage, useful for family history tied to the mining industry.
Local societies
No dedicated Shoshone County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Shoshone County Magistrate Court 700 Bank Street, Suite 120, Wallace, ID 83873 (208) 752-1264
Magistrate Judge: Hon. Barbara Duggan. Shoshone County is in Idaho’s historic Silver Valley mining district, one of the largest silver-producing regions in the world.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Idaho has adopted the Uniform Probate Code (Idaho Code Title 15). Idaho is also a community property state. Idaho recognizes four main paths:
Small Estate Affidavit – a non-court process for estates with a total value of $100,000 or less (excluding liens and encumbrances) and no real property. Available 30 days after death. No court filing required (Idaho Code § 15-3-1201).
Summary Administration – available when the value of all the decedent’s property is less than the homestead allowance, exempt property, and last-illness medical expenses combined, or when a surviving spouse is sole beneficiary (Idaho Code §§ 15-3-1203, 15-3-1205).
Informal Probate – the most common track for uncontested estates, handled through the court registrar.
Formal Probate – court-supervised proceedings required when disputes arise or the will is contested.
Step 2: filing
For informal probate with a will, file an Application for Informal Probate of Will and Appointment of Personal Representative with the Magistrate Division.
For formal probate, file a Petition for Probate of Will and Appointment of Personal Representative (or the equivalent for intestate estates).
Idaho does not have a statutory fee schedule for attorneys or personal representatives – fees must be reasonable given the services rendered and complexity.
If formal or informal probate is needed
Determine whether small estate affidavit, summary administration, or full probate applies.
File the appropriate application or petition with the Shoshone County Magistrate Court.
Under informal proceedings, the registrar reviews the application without a hearing. Under formal proceedings, a judge holds a hearing.
The personal representative accepts the appointment and may need to post a bond.
Once appointed, the court issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration. Obtain several certified copies.
Publish notice to creditors as required.
Mail notice to all heirs, beneficiaries, and interested parties.
Marshal assets, obtain an EIN, open an estate account, pay valid debts and expenses, and prepare any required inventory.
Distribute remaining assets per the will or Idaho’s intestacy statutes, then close the estate.
What it costs
Idaho does not impose its own state estate or inheritance tax.
Idaho does not have a statutory fee schedule for attorneys or personal representatives.
Court filing fees and publication costs are separate – confirm current amounts with the Shoshone County Magistrate Court.
Probate in Idaho typically takes 6-12 months for uncontested estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
717 Bank St., Wallace, ID 83873
(208) 752-1276
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / CLERK
700 Bank St., Wallace, ID 83873
(208) 752-1264
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Idaho Dept of Health & Welfare — Panhandle
(208) 769-1421
Idaho Medicaid
(800) 926-2588
Shoshone Medical Center
shoshonemedical.org (Kellogg)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Panhandle Health District (serving Shoshone County) – confirm current contact via panhandlehealthdistrict.org.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Wallace
Population: 12,500
Area: 2,634 sq mi
Established: 1879
Tier: 3
Public Records
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