Center of the Universe

Wallace, Idaho

On September 25, 2004, mayor Ron Garitone of Wallace issued a proclamation that the intersection of Bank and 6th Streets in his town was the "Probalistic Center of the Universe."

To mark it, the manhole cover at the intersection was replaced with one embossed with The Center of the Universe, a compass rose, and the stock symbols of the four mining companies that call Wallace home.

This was not the act of a randomly insane mayor. Instead, it was a snarky rebuttal to the EPA and the Department of Health and Human Services, which in 2002 had declared Wallace part of a Superfund Site due to "probable" lead pollution from its nearby mines. Since the pollution couldn't be proved or disproved, Mayor Garitone reasoned that the Center of the Universe could also be in Wallace, since that couldn't be proved or disproved either.

Mayor Garitone officiated the first wedding at the Center of the Universe in October 2005, and the first Miss Center of the Universe pageant was held in Wallace in 2007.