At one time, Galena was 14 times larger than Chicago and in line to be the Illinois state capital. A mineral made all the difference.
This was America’s first mineral boomtown, founded decades before the silver and gold rushes in Colorado, Montana, Alaska and California.
The mineral Galena supplied was lead.
This town in the northwestern corner of Illinois produced tons of it. The town grew up around the Galena River, which led to the Mississippi River just a few miles away. From there, it found its way to markets in all directions. In the mid 1850s, rail lines arrived and the lead went to market on rail cars instead of boats and barges.
There is at least one lead mine still available for a visit. The Vinegar Hill mine was productive for more than a century before it shut down for good in the 1930s. An Irish immigrant started this family-owned mine and then passed it down through the generations. It is fairly typical of the scores of mines in and around Galena in the 1820s.
Once the Civil War ended, demand for lead dropped significantly and a steady economic decline began in Galena.
By the 1930s, Galena was almost a ghost town, and the 1937 flood that ravaged the American Midwest did major damage to what little was left of the town. After World War II, the federal government turned its attention from war production to reinforcing a then-dreadful levee system. Once that was done, there was money for urban renewal in the newly secured river towns. In those days, that meant tearing down historical buildings to make way for something new. Fortunately, that philosophy changed quickly and many important buildings in Galena were saved and restored.
There is much history to consider in Galena.
This small town produced nine Civil War generals, including a guy you might have read about named Ulysses S. Grant. After concluding the hostilities at Appomattox with Robert E. Lee, he returned to a hero’s welcome in Galena. The celebration might have been a bit of a surprise to Grant. After all, he only had moved here a few years before the war to work in a leather shop after leaving the military. But with the war, he re-joined the Army. So the town saw him as their hero, and they built an elegant house for him to ensure he would stay. But Grant had other plans.
Grant became a politician, ran for president, and served two terms in the White House. Once the second term ended, it was back to Galena with his wife Julia, but for only a short time. The couple decided to make a two-year, around-the-world tour. When they returned, Grant contracted mouth cancer and died in 1885.
The Grant House still stands and may be toured for the modest sum of $5.
Another historic building is the DeSoto House Hotel. To this day, you can see a balcony facing the main street of downtown Galena — a place where Abraham Lincoln once made a speech in his Illinois days prior to becoming president.
Speaking of that main street, it is one of the most photographed downtowns this side of the Chicago Loop.
Minus the modern cars and signage, the view largely resembles what could be seen from a horse-drawn carriage 150 years ago. This town of 3,500 permanent residents attracts about 1.4 million visitors each year.
For a nice one-hour orientation, consider taking the Galena Trolley Tour if you visit between May and October. For about $20/person, you’ll get a running commentary that sums up the history of this place. At certain times, admission to three Galena attractions can be included in the tour: the aforementioned Grant House; the Dowling House, which is the oldest stone structure in Illinois; and the The Belvedere mansion, a 22-room showplace built for riverboat captain J. Russell Jones. He later was named ambassador to Belgium.
Dining options in Galena range from downright quirky to traditional. Durty Gurt’s restaurant menu features a choice of 14 burgers, which once included a hamburger with a glazed donut split in two for buns. Market House draws visitors for its traditional fare, including a Crab Louis salad the menu claims is “famous.”
If you’re traveling U.S. 20 across northern parts of Illinois and Iowa, Galena is well worth a half-day stop, or perhaps an overnight stay. It also makes a nice day trip from Chicago or Milwaukee. Roads in the area traverse rich farmland and one still bears the designation “Stagecoach Route.” I drove on it for a while, but didn’t make any stagecoach sightings.
But you’ll see plenty in this area that will signify a bygone era. It’s a surprising travel find because it’s becoming hard to find a place so well-preserved and at peace with its largely has-been status.
You know what they say about has-beens: it sure beats being a “never was.”
If You Go