WALLACE — The Northern Pacific Depot Foundation, Inc. was recently awarded a Community Strategies Grant from the Inland Northwest Community Foundation.

The $11,400 grant is for refurbishing the outdoor lighting on the grounds around the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot Museum in Wallace.

It was with this money that the NPR Depot and the city of Wallace were able to be fitted with new LED lights that illuminate the depot, and match the rest of the outdoor lighting decor throughout the city.

The Wallace City Crew has been successful in changing and replacing the old bulbs. The next phase of the outdoor lighting project will be to remove each pole, check the wiring, sandblast, paint and replace the globes that cover the bulbs, which should begin this spring.

“The grounds are very well-lit, and the glow of the NPR Depot, our community icon, is tremendous. With the new roof in 2017 and the lighting upgrades, the NPR Depot Museum and grounds have been restored,” said NPR Director Shauna Hillman. “This grant is a great opportunity for the Depot and the community.”

All work on this outdoor lighting project will be handled within the Silver Valley. The NPR Depot was built in 1901, by Northern Pacific Railway Company and served the Coeur d'Alene Mining District for more than 70 years, but applied for abandonment in 1978 after years of declining use.

The building was listed on the U.S. Park Service National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

When Interstate 90 was built north of Wallace, the NPR Depot was in the right-of-way. However, the Idaho Department of Transportation was committed to moving and restoring the structure according to their code, and the building was moved to its current location and restoration finished in 1986.

Today, the Depot Museum tells the story of transporting ore concentrates, people and freight to and from the Coeur d’Alene Mining District.

The NPR Route or NorPac, ran from Wallace to St. Regis, where it met the mainline to take mine ore concentrates to industry smelters in Montana.

The summer of 2018 will see three new exhibits at the NPR Depot Museum.

For more information on the NPR Depot membership, volunteers, grant awards or a special tour during the winter months, email npdepot@gmail.com, or call 208-752-0111.