WALLACE — Wallace social studies teacher Chris Lund was looking for new ways to spark curiosity about history in his students and decided it was time to take them out of the classroom. The city of Wallace relishes in its local history and ninth graders are getting a more hands-on approach with a new local history elective.

“The students selected their home or building, and part of the project was that they had to find out who the current owner is by looking at the records history in the courthouse records office,” Lund said.

For the last few weeks, students have gone on a walking tour of the historic homes of Wallace and interviewed residents to dig deeper into the history of Wallace.

“The community has been super, super helpful. A lot of the people we’ve been talking to have graduated from Wallace and gone on to college or the workforce in Wallace and are giving back to the community. I want the students to see that you can be successful here in the Silver Valley. Wallace is just such a neat town and I think sometimes we take that for granted,” Lund said.

Lund said that it’s been over a decade since the last local history class was offered at Wallace Jr./Sr. High School and that it adds a more interactive element to how students think about history. On one occasion, the local history class was accompanied by a seventh-grade art class looking for architectural inspiration.

The city has digitized some local records, but a lot of them are in books and the students have to physically flip through local history. Overall, the history class provides a framework for students to build up a historical perspective beyond rote facts to memorize in order to pass a test.

“We had an opportunity this year to bring it back and I thought it would be a great time with the way Wallace is growing. Knowing our local history is so important to keep kids interested in their area and have that respect for our town and our community,” Lund said.

The Wallace Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 in order to preserve it while Interstate 90 was being built, and some buildings and structures with historical significance can only be changed or remodeled with approval. Researching and tracking changes in the area for their student projects has become a bit of a treasure hunt that also adds new skills to pick up along the way.

“As we walk through town, we’re going to be using the vocabulary of the architecture; diamond-shaped shingles or gabled roofs,” Lund said.

The local history class has more interviews with building owners this and next week. Other topics the ninth graders will be covering this year include the 1910 fire and the mining wars.

“We don’t really realize just how fortunate we are to have a neat spot right here in Idaho. Having the kids understand their history here in Wallace is so important,” Lund said.