Galena is the largest city in Jo Daviess County in the north of the US state of Illinois and the county seat. The US The Census Bureau recorded a population of 3,308 as of the 2020 census. The city is known as a tourist destination for its history and historic architecture. There are also golf and ski resorts. For several years, Galena was the home of Civil War General and future President Ulysses S. Grant, as well as other political and show business personalities.
Galena has a rich history that is evident in the city's architecture.
The first known inhabitants of the area were the Sauk and Fox Indian
tribes. French colonization of the area began in the late 17th century,
and American settlers arrived in the area at the beginning of the 19th
century, and founded the city in 1823. By the middle of the 19th
century, the population had risen to over 14,000 due to the mining of
lead ore, but it fell continuously to around 3,396 inhabitants today due
to demand.
The Mining of Lead Ore
The city is named after the
English name Galena for the mineral galenite (galena). Galena
(chemically lead(II) sulphide) is the most important ore for the
extraction of lead. The ore was already mined by the Indians to gain
colors for body painting. In the 1690s, French fur hunters explored the
area and the mining of galena also began at this time.
Ore was
first shipped across the Mississippi in 1816 by George Davenport, a
retired colonel. A trading post was established three years later and in
1824 the first steamship docked at Galena. During this time, 80% of all
US lead production was concentrated in Jo Daviess County.
The
1980s
Until the late 1980s, Galena retained the character of a small
agricultural town. In 1990, the second Kraft cheese factory, Lefco
Foundry and Westwick's Foundry, and Microswitch Inc. were added to local
small-scale industry.
Local tourism was promoted by the then
mayor, Frank Einsweiler. This also meant that long-established companies
closed their offices in the city center and relocated to the outskirts
of the city.
Tourism
Galena is a busy tourist destination with more than 1
million visitors a year. The city is particularly appreciated by the
residents of Chicago. Many of them now have a second home in the Galena
area.
Cityscape
85% of Galena's structure is located in the
Galena Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of
Historic Places and contributes greatly to Galena's popularity. The Old
Market House (built 1845) is a museum of the history of the area. Main
Street in downtown Galena has a number of specialty shops and
restaurants. Named after the Archangel Michael, Saint Michael's Church
was founded by Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, an early American immigrant
priest. The oldest hotel still in operation today, the Desoto House
Hotel opened in 1855.
A total of seven Galena structures and
sites are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as
of September 21, 2018.
Personalities of the American Civil War
The later President of the
USA, Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), lived in Galena for a number of
years. When he worked in his father's leather goods store in 1860/1861,
he lived in a rented house. After the Union victory in the Civil War,
Grant returned to Galena on August 18, 1865 and was hailed as a hero
there. He was given a fully furnished house, which is still one of the
sights of Galena today as the Ulysses S. Grant Home. He lived there
until his election as President in 1869 and visited regularly until
1880.
Elihu Benjamin Washburne (1816–1887) was Secretary of State
under Grant and a staunch abolitionist. He worked as a lawyer in Galena.
His house is one of the attractions of Galena and is included in the
list of historic sites.
In addition to Grant, eight other Civil
War generals lived in the city:
Augustus Louis Chetlain, the first
Illinois man to enlist in the Union Army
John Oliver Duer
Jasper
Adalmorn Maltby
Ely Samuel Parker
John Aaron Rawlins (1831–1869),
Secretary of War under President Grant
William Rueben Rowley
John
CorsonSmith
John Eugene Smith
More personalities
Richard H.
Cain (1825–1887), barber at Galena; 1853 Vice-President of the Colored
Convention, sharing the position with Frederick Douglass.
John H.
Gear (1825–1900), politician, lived in Galena from 1836 to 1838. In 1863
he was mayor of Burlington, Iowa; 1878–1881 Governor of Iowa; 1887-1891
and 1893-1895 MP for Iowa; 1895-1900 he was Senator from Iowa.
James
D. Lynch (1839–1872), pastor of the Galena African Methodist Episcopal
Church; first black Secretary of State in Mississippi
Don McNeill
(1907–1996)
Herman Melville (1819–1891), novelist, poet and essayist
William A. Richards (1849–1912), politician, was Governor of Wyoming
from 1895 to 1899.
Jack Willis (born 1920), jazz musician
Frederick Schwatka (1849–1892), United States Army lieutenant, explorer
LaMetta Wynn (b. 1933), the first African American woman to preside over
a commune in Iowa. She was mayor of Clinton, Iowa, from 1995 to 2007.
She graduated from Galena.
Isabel Fargo Cole (born 1973), writer and
translator, born in Galena
At the 2000 census, Galena had 3460 inhabitants in 1570 households
and 893 families. The population density was 926.4 inhabitants per
square kilometer. There were 1821 buildings, which corresponded to an
average building density of 188 per square kilometer.
The
population in 2000 was 97.54% White, 0.32% African American, 0.32%
Asian, 0.09% Native American, 1.16% other. 0.58% stated that they
descended from at least two of these groups. 5.06% of the population
consisted of Hispanics belonging to various of the above groups.
18.7% were under 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from
45 to 64 and 22.3% 65 and older. The average age was 44 years.
Statistically, there were 94.9 men for every 100 women and 88.5 for
those over 18 years of age.
Median income was $36,106, median
family income was $44,063. The average income for men was $32,172 and
for women $19,670. Per capita income was $19,773. Around 4.3% of
families and 9.9% of the total population had an income below the
poverty line.