Shoshone

Formed February 4, 1864 (6^th county)

Shoshone County (13,164), Wallace (788), Kellogg (2,316)

A Neo-Classical Revival governmental looking masonry building was built in 1905 in Wallace.  The courthouse is located at Bank, 7^th, Hotel, and 8^th streets.   Bank Street is Interstate Highway 90 Business in this part of the town.  The building designers are Lewis R. Stritesky and Robert C. Sweatt.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  The county was established on February 4, 1864 as the 6^th county.  Pierce (1861), Murray (1885), and Wallace (1892) have all been the county seat.  It is named for the Native American tribe.  It has the same source name as the county seat of Lincoln County.  The county seat is named for settler W. R. Wallace. 

Shoshone County government consists of a sheriff, a prosecuter, a coroner, a clerk, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Nine Circuit Court Judges and a Magistrate Court Judge serve Shoshone, Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, and Kootenai counties (judicial.) The county is on the eastern border with Montana in the Idaho panhandle.  The county center is 39.4 miles South of Wallace.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Montana and Clearwater, Latah, Benewah, Kootenai, and Bonner counties.  

The area of the county is 2634 square miles.  It is 8 out of 44 in the state.  It ranks 24 out of 44 in population in the state.  It has a density of 5.0 persons per square mile making it 30 out of 44 in the state.  Shoshone County has 59.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 90 enters the county from Montana to the east and exits west into Kootenai County.  The county is a triangle.  Wallace is in the western half of the county.  Kellogg is in the western third of the county.  Wallace is the county seat and Kellogg is the largest city.  Wallace is 6.0% of the county population while Kellogg is 17.6% of the county population.  The county is pronounced SHOW-SHOEN.

Wardner