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Galena’s history began early in America’s quest
to explore the West. Here
are a few of the many highlights in Galena’s past.
1690-Frenchman Nicholas Perrot established a
trading post on the east side of the Mississippi River opposite
the present site of Dubuque, Iowa. He visited Indian-operated lead mines on the Fever
River (now the Galena River).
Lead was already a trade article with the French.
1816-Captain John Shaw of the U.S. Army
reported Indians along the Fever River mining lead from the “Buck
Lead” north of Galena.
The first boatload of lead
ore was shipped down the Fever and Mississippi Rivers by Col. George
Davenport, after whom Davenport, Iowa is named.
1818-John Tyler Armstrong built a cabin on the
east bank of the Fever River, probably in the vicinity of the
Illinois Central Railroad Depot (Information Center).
It was the first recorded permanent settlement on the
Fever River.
1819-Francis Bouthillier took over the
deserted Armstrong cabin and established a ferry across the Fever
River at the foot of what is now Bouthillier Street.
About 100 men came up the river from St. Louis to work
the Fever River mines.
1822-The first mining lease was granted by the
federal government to Col. James Johnson, who brought 20 white
miners and perhaps 50 slaves from Kentucky to work his claim.
The Winnebago Indians resisted at Johnson’s
landing, insisting they had not ceded the land to the United
States, as had the Sauk and Fox Tribes.
1823-The Virginia becomes the first
steamboat to ascend the upper Mississippi River.
Meanwhile, Dr. Moses Meeker and his colony arrived on the
keelboat Colonel Bumford, and Meeker began smelting lead.
Among the party was 15-year-old Daniel Smith Harris, destined to
become the most prominent steamboat captain on the Upper
Mississippi River.
Over 425,000 pounds of lead ore was shipped from
Galena, or “January’s Point”, as it was then known.
1824-The U.S. Government appointed Lieutenant
Martin Thomas as mine agent to issue leases and collect
royalties for the Federal Leadmine District.
Miners and traders flocked to the Point.
1826-Lieutenant Thomas began to lie out
streets and lots.
The first post office in northern Illinois is
established at the corner of Main and Perry Streets.
John Dowling’s trading post was built about this time of
native limestone. It
is one of the oldest buildings still standing in Galena.
And the name Galena is chosen for the growing
community. Galena is Latin for lead sulfide.
1827-Jo Daviess County organized; it was named
after a Kentucky lawyer and militia officer who fell at the head
of his troops at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811 in Indiana.
 Steamboats began regularly scheduled service
between Galena and St. Louis.
Large numbers of miners began arriving, including
settlers from Lord Selkirk’s failed colony on the Red River in
Canada. H.H. Gear
arrived in the Lead District and began mining near Council Hill.
The short-lived Winnebago Indian uprising in southern
Wisconsin sent many miners and farmers to Galena for protection.
1828-In February, the steamer Josephine had
to break through the ice in the Fever River to deliver flour to
residents of Galena, who were desperately short of provisions.
Galena saw its first serious flood, with steamboats
floating down Main Street.
The Old City Cemetery was established on Quality
Hill, between High and Dodge Streets.
James Jones begins publishing the first newspaper in
the Region, the Miner’s Journal.
1830-Galena's
first fire department established.
1832-Daniel Smith Harris and his brother,
Robert Scribe, began construction on the Jo Daviess, the
first steamboat built on the Fever River.
The Blackhawk War broke out.
Indians defeated the militia at the battle of Stillman’s
Run, which caused panic in the Lead District.
The Stockade was built in Galena and settlers flocked
to town. Blackhawk
and his people were defeated at the Battle of Bad Axe,
Wisconsin.
A new mining boom began as Indian claims were
extinguished.
1838-The First Presbyterian Church was
constructed. (The
steeple was added in 1854.)
Galena Temperance Society formed to “combat
excessive drunkenness” in the town’s saloons and “groceries.”
Galena’s first Chamber of Commerce was organized.
1839-Dredging began on the Fever River as the
silting problem worsened-a result of soil erosion caused by
mining, excessive cutting of trees for smelters and steamboats,
and farming.
Samuel Hughlett began smelting on a small tributary
of the Fever River, known today as Hughlett’s Branch.
1841-The state legislature granted a charter
of incorporation to the City of Galena.
A census revealed 650 houses and 2,225 people in the
city. Toll bridges
were built at Bouthillier and Franklin Streets.
The Galena River was over 200 feet wide.
1843-Manufacture of Galena pottery began at
the D.A. Sackett and Co. kilns on Dewey Avenue.
1844-Jo Daviess County courthouse on Bench
Street, begun in 1839, was completed.
1845-Lead ore production in the lead region
(Galena, IL area; Dubuque, IA area; and southern Wisconsin),
peaked at 54 million pounds, representing more than 80 percent
of the nation’s total. Most
of it was shipped out of the region on Galena steamboats.
1846-The Market House opened for business.
A farmer’s market operated on the first floor and
outside on the square until 1910.
The City Council chambers were located on the second
floor until 1938. The
building is now an Illinois State Historic Site.
1847-The government began to sell land in the
Lead District to private owners, after more and more miners and
smelters circumvented payment of royalties on leased land, thus
rendering the leasing system ineffective. Drawbridges were built at Meeker and Spring Streets.
Construction began on Grace Episcopal Church on Hill
Street.
1848-Westminister Presbyterian Church was
built on South Bench Street.
1851-An Italianate-style firehouse was built
on Bench Street. The Old No. 1 Firehouse is believed to be the oldest
firehouse of its type in Illinois.
1852-Elihu B. Washburne, who was to become one
of the most powerful men in the nation, was elected to his first
term in U.S. Congress.
1854-The name of Fever River was changed G
River by the Illinois State Legislature.
The Illinois Central Railroad arrived in Galena.
Fires caused extensive damage to wooden buildings on Main
Street
1855-The five-story DeSoto House opened its
doors for business and quickly claimed the reputation as being
one of the finest. Although
two floors were removed in 1880, the building still stands today
as the oldest operating hotel in Illinois.
1856-Abraham Lincoln spoke from the balcony of
the DeSoto House. St. Mary’s Catholic Church was constructed according to the
plans of missionary Father Samuel Mazzuchelli.
The worst Galena fire ever devastated many Main Street
buildings. Ordinances
now prohibit buildings constructed of wood in the downtown area.
1857-Ely Parker, part Seneca Indian, was
appointed superintendent of construction for the U.S. Customs
House and Marine Hospital in Galena. The Customs House, built to register Upper Mississippi
steamboat cargoes, was also the new Post Office.
Today it is the second oldest continuously owned and
operated post office in the nation.
The
Methodist Church was built on Bench Street.
Later, Ulysses S. Grant and his family worshipped there.
The Illinois Central Railroad Depot was built.
It is now the Tourist Information Center.
1858-Business man Daniel Barrows built his
house on Bench Street that today houses the Galena/Jo Daviess
County Historical Museum. Galena’s
population reached an all-time high of roughly 14,000.
1859-The Alexander Jackson home was
constructed on Bouthillier Street.
It became the home of Ulysses S. Grant in 1865 and is now
the Grant Home State Historic Site.
1860-Ulysses S. Grant and family arrived in Galena and
rented the house at 121 South High Street.
Grant went to work in his father’s leather goods store
as a clerk for $600 per year.
1861-The War Between the States broke out.
Ulysses S. Grant trained volunteer troops. He departed with militia for Springfield, hoping for a
commission in the regular army.
 Daniel Smith Harris’s Grey Eagle, the
fastest steamboat on the Upper Mississippi River, sank at Rock
Island, Illinois and the captain retired from the steamboat
business but stayed active in the Galena business community.
1862-Because of Galena’s southern
antecedents, divided loyalties sill existed.
Anti-War Democratic lawyers Madison Y. Johnson and David
S. Sheean were arrested for disloyal activities.
1865-Grant returned from the Civil War in
triumph and was given a huge reception and home in Galena by
prominent Republicans. Galena’s
Democratic administration played a very small roll in the
festivities. David
Sheean was elected Mayor.
1868-Grant ran for president.
His campaign headquarters were located at the DeSoto
House. Grant
received election returns in the library of Elihu B. Washburne’s
house, now a State Historic Site.
1869-The Women’s Suffrage Convention was
held in Galena, organized by Sarah Coates Harris, wife of
retired captain Daniel Smith Harris. Guest speakers included Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B.
Anthony.
1874-Turner Hall was by the Turner Society for
various community events and “entertainments of respectable
character.”
1890-A lock and dam was built near the mouth
of the Galena River, functioning until 1921.
Because of siltation, the river channel continued to
decrease in size while intensity and frequency of floods
increased.
1891-The bronze statue of Grant and the
Soldier’s Monument was installed in Grant Park.
1893-During the nationwide economic
depression, many Galena businesses failed.
1900-Vice president Theodore Roosevelt spoke
at Turner Hall.
1904-Grant’s home was given to the city by
the children of U.S. Grant.
1906-The high school building on Prospect
Street was completed. It
is now Galena Green Condominiums.
1908-The Galena Public Library on Bench Street
was constructed, funded by the Carnegie Foundation and B.F. Felt
estate.
1911-A tornado caused severe damage to the
roof of the Grand Home.
1926-Turner hall was gutted by fire.
It was reconstructed in the 1930s as part of a WPA
project.
1928-Hard surfacing with concrete of U.S. 20
completed through the city of Galena.
1931-U.S. Grant Home is deeded to the state by
the City of Galena.
1932-Congressman Leo Allen was elected, and
began 28 years as the district’s congressman.
He was instrumental in getting funding for a dike and
floodgates on the Galena River.
1937-The worst flood in Galena’s history
occurred. Five feet
of water was recorded on Main Street.
There was serious damage to main downtown buildings.
1951-Construction was completed on the dike
and floodgates, finally protecting Galena from floodwaters.
1965-Galena became the first community after
Springfield to adopt a local historic preservation ordinance,
which established a local historic district.
1968-Over 85 percent of Galena is listed on
the National Register of Historic Places.
1973-Frank Einsweiler, strong preservation
advocate was elected to the first of four terms as Mayor of
Galena.
1974-Amtrak began regularly scheduled rail
passenger service to Chicago on the Black Hawk.
The service was discontinued in 1981 due to low ridership,
poor management, and lack of funds.
1978-Reconstruction on the Coatsworth Building
was begun. The
Coatsworth at one time housed J.R. Grant’s leather shop where
Ulysses worked. It
is now a senior citizen’s center.
1982-A new footbridge opened connecting Grant
Park to downtown.
1984-A new U.S. Highway 20 bridge across the
Galena River opened to traffic.
It was dedicated as the Frank L. Einsweiler bridge.
1987-The Alice T. Virtue Memorial Water Park
opened, featuring two swimming pools, a waterslide, and sand
volleyball court. It
was named after a life-long Galena resident whose estate
provided money for the project.
1988-Frank Einsweiler retired as Mayor of
Galena after 50 years of community service.
1990-The City of Galena received a $684,800
grant for renovation of Turner Hall.
Work began as sprinklers, fire alarms, and a stage loft
were added. The
wood floor on the main level, as well as many windows and doors,
were replaced. This
stage of Turner Hall renovation was completed in June 1992.
1992-January-The main lodge at Eagle Ridge Inn
and Resort suffered a major loss due to fire.
Thirty-four local fire departments fought the blaze.
Reconstruction began immediately and portions of the new
facility were opened by August.
Jo Daviess County was introduced to unlimited stakes
riverboat gambling aboard the Silver Eagle Casino, docked at
Frentress Lake, just west of Galena near East Dubuque.
1993-Kraft closed its Galena plant,
consolidating production at the Stockton plant.
Construction began on Galena Square.
The new development featured a 30,000 sq. ft. Dick’s
Supermarket. Also,
Clingman’s Pharmacy, previously located on Main Street, which
is the oldest operated pharmacy in the state of Illinois.
Flood
of 1993 was named the Hundred Year Flood.
Spring thaw and heavy late spring rainfall caused the
Galena River and Mississippi River to crest at the highest level
ever. The
Mississippi River took nearly three weeks to return to below
flood level.
1994-Judith
Gratton became the first woman County Board Chairman.
1995-Jo
Daviess County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau moved into the
Old Waterworks Building at the corner of Park and Bouthillier
Streets.
1996-The
Galena/Jo Daviess Chamber of Commerce began a major rehab of the
Old Railroad Depot.
1997-Elihu
Washburne home renovation was completed and opened to the
public.
The
Silver Eagle Casino left Frentress Lake near East Dubuque and
moved out-of-state.
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