Wallace, nestled in a narrow mountainous valley with a booming population, had little room to grow except onto the hillside, and the steepness of the south hill prevented roads from being constructed in a standard city block pattern. Roads that would normally have accommodated vehicle traffic became stairways to facilitate foot traffic. One of the earliest references to the building of stairways on the south hill was recorded in the July 12, 1909, Wallace city council minutes, with other references recorded in April 1910, October and November 1912, and August and September 1916. The stairs also appeared on early Sanborn Maps and in historic photographs in the Barnard-Stockbridge collection at the University of Idaho. The stairs provided children a pathway to school and a place to play, where they built forts under the stairs, spied on people using the steps, and slid down the snow-covered stairs on winter days. Many high school athletes used the stairs for conditioning. For over a century, the twelve stairways with nearly 800 steps have been used by residents, school children, and others seeking views while preserving their vim, vigor and vitality.