Galena, Illinois

Galena
City
Downtown Galena, Illinois
Flag Coat of arms
Name origin: galena, lead sulfide ore
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Jo Daviess
Landmark	Galena Historic District
River	Galena River (Illinois)
Elevation	633 ft (193 m)
Coordinates	42°25′N 90°26′W
Area	3.7 sq mi (10 km2)
- land	3.7 sq mi (10 km2)
- water	0.0 sq mi (0 km2)
Population	3,429 (2010)
Density	926.4 / sq mi (358 / km2)
Settled	1690s (French)
- Founded	1826
- Chartered	1841
Mayor	Terry Renner
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	61036
Area code	815
Location of Galena within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Galena, Illinois
Website: http://www.cityofgalena.org/

Galena is the county seat of, and largest city in, Jo Daviess County, Illinois in the United States, with a population of 3,429 in 2010. The city is a popular tourist destination known for its history, historical architecture, and ski and golf resorts. Galena was the residence of Ulysses S. Grant, several other war generals, entertainers, and politicians.

History

Main Street

Galena has a rich history that is visible in the city's architecture. Originally inhabited by Sac and Fox Native Americans, by the late 17th century, the French began to settle in the area. In the early 19th century, American settlers began to arrive. Following a sharp decline in the demand for lead, Galena's population dropped from 14,000 in the mid-19th century, to 3,396 in the early 21st century.

Once one of the most important cities in the state, Galena was the hub on the Mississippi River between St. Louis and St. Paul. Due to erosion, the Galena River is inaccessible to steamboats like it once was. Also Galena received national attention in the 1860s as home of General Ulysses S. Grant.

Galena's official flag was adopted in 1976 to symbolize mining, agriculture, steamboats, and the nine American Civil War generals who lived in the city.^{[citation needed]}

Lead mining

The city is named for the mineral "galena", the natural form of lead sulfide and the most important lead ore mineral. Native Americans, including the Sac and Fox tribes, mined the ore in Galena for use in body painting. In the 1690s French trappers discovered the area and began mining the lead.

In a little over 100 years, American settlers arrived in the area. George Davenport, a retired colonel in the United States Army, successfully shipped Galena's first boatload of lead ore down the Mississippi River in 1816. Three years later a trading post was built in Galena that led to the first steamboat arrival in 1824. By 1845 Galena was producing nearly 27,000 tons of lead ore and Jo Daviess County was producing 80 percent of the lead in the United States.

Today

Until the late 1980s, Galena remained a small rural farming community. In 1990, local industries included a Kraft Foods cheese plant; Lefco Foundry; John Westwick's foundry; and Microswitch, Inc.

In the 1980s, a tourist campaign was strongly endorsed by then-mayor Frank Einsweiler. Since that time the face of Galena has changed a great deal. Long-standing businesses in the downtown area including Stair's Grocery, Sullivan's Grocery, Clingman's Pharmacy, the oldest continuously operating pharmacy in Illinois, and Hartig's Drugs have closed their downtown locations. Clingman's and Hartig's have relocated to the outskirts of Galena, while Stair's and Sullivan's closed their doors permanently.^{[citation needed]} In late 2010, Clingman's joined the Hartig's family and moved their pharmacy to Hartig's Drugs location along Highway 20.

The Country Fair in Grant Park has helped guide the change to a tourist town. The Country Fair is a craft show that attracts thousands of visitors to the area. The once boarded up buildings of Main Street have also been given a rejuvenation in the past two decades.

In 2010, Galena started a campaign called Vision2020, that is modeled after neighbor Dubuque, Iowa's Vision 2010, a committee which gives the community five ideas out of hundreds brought forth in the community that they want Galena to do in the next decade.

The 32nd annual Halloween Parade was held in 2010, the crowd was estimated at 15,000.

Galena was rated as one of the top ten "Charming Small Towns" by TripAdvisor in 2011.

Geography

Panorama of Galena from the Levee, (left) Methodist Church Steeple, (center right) Lutheran Church Steeple, (right) Presbyterian Church Steeple

US 20/IL 84 bridge over the Galena River

Galena is located at 42°25′5″N 90°25′53″W (42.418171, -90.431472). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.6 km²). Galena is situated along the Galena River, which is one of many tributaries of the Mississippi River.

Galena is located in the Driftless Zone, an area that was not covered by glaciers during the recent ice ages. This area, which includes the far northwestern corner of Illinois, escaped glaciation, while almost the entire state was glaciated, nearly to its southern tip. Because it escaped glaciation, this area is known for its hills, valleys, bluffs and large amounts of exposed rock. See attached photos "Hills of Galena" to see an example of the contrasts created by the lack of glaciers during the last ice age.

Horseshoe Mound is a hill located outside Galena that U.S. 20 winds around before entering Galena. The view from Horseshoe Mound is one of the most photographed spots in the city. It stands at 1,063 feet (324 m) high.

Floods

Floodgates in downtown Galena

Because of the city's proximity to the Galena River, buildings have been threatened on numerous occasions by flooding. Galena's Congressman, Leo E. Allen, helped acquire funding for city floodgates which were added in 1951 to connect to the river levee system. Significant recorded floods include:

• 1828 - In Galena's first recorded flood, water was high enough to allow steamboats to travel on city streets.
• 1937 - A flood inundated Main Street with up to five feet of water, causing serious damage to downtown buildings.
• 1972 - A storm upstream caused the flood gates to be close but the river flooded the sewage treatment plan and backed up sanitary and storm sewers. Sand bags were placed around storm manholes to keep water from flooding the downtown with 3' of water.^{[citation needed]}
• 1993 - Almost eight feet of water threatened downtown Galena, but was stopped by the city's floodgates. Late spring season rainfall led the Mississippi and Galena Rivers to their highest recorded levels.
• 2010 - On July 22, eight inches of rainfall in one night caused the river to swell to twice its normal size. The flood gates were closed, protecting downtown, but many businesses and homes reported damages to basements and lower levels. Had the flood gates not been in place, it was estimated that six feet of water would have covered Main Street. Damages were estimated between $7–8 million. President Obama declared the county a federal disaster area on Aug. 19.^{[citation needed]}
• 2011 - In a 12-hour period between July 27 and July 28, Galena received between 10 and 15 inches of rain. The Galena River rose to more than twice its normal height and possibly its highest recorded level since the floodgates were erected. The Grant Park sign, built in the 19th century, was washed away and there were major damages to downtown businesses, the city's trail system and roads. Initial damage estimates were around $16 million.^{[citation needed]}

Climate

Climate data for Galena, Illinois
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	−3 (27)	−1 (30)	7 (45)	15 (59)	22 (72)	27 (81)	29 (84)	28 (82)	23 (73)	17 (63)	7 (45)	−2 (28)	14.1 (57.3)
Average low °C (°F)	−13 (9)	−10 (14)	−4 (25)	2 (36)	8 (46)	14 (57)	17 (63)	16 (61)	11 (52)	4 (39)	−3 (27)	−9 (16)	2.8 (37.0)
Precipitation mm (inches)	29 (1.14)	32 (1.26)	57.9 (2.28)	84.1 (3.311)	94.7 (3.728)	116.3 (4.579)	84.8 (3.339)	111.3 (4.382)	91.9 (3.618)	63.8 (2.512)	65.5 (2.579)	41.1 (1.618)	872.4 (34.346)
Source: weather.com

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,460 people, 1,570 households, and 893 families residing in the city. The population density was 926.4 people per square mile (358.2/km²). There were 1,821 housing units at an average density of 487.6 per square mile (188.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.54% White, 0.32% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 1.16% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.06% of the population.

There were 1,570 households out of which 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.81.In the city the population was spread out with 18.7% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,103, and the median income for a family was $44,063. Males had a median income of $32,172 versus $19,670 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,773. About 4.3% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.8% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

Tourism

Elihu Benjamin Washburne House, Third Street

Galena is a very popular tourist destination hosting well over one million visitors each year. Galena is also popular with Chicagoans, many of whom keep second homes in the area.

Cityscape

85 percent of the structures in Galena are within the Galena Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and greatly contributes to the city's popularity. The Old Market House State Historic Site, built in 1845, is a museum of local social history. Main Street in downtown Galena has a large number of specialty shops and restaurants and a winery. Galena's Saint Michael's Church was founded by the pioneer priest Father Samuel Mazzuchelli. The church is named after one of the three Archangels. Opened in 1855, the downtown DeSoto House Hotel, is the oldest operating hotel in Illinois. There are also several resorts and golf courses located in the Galena area.

Education

Broadcasting host Don McNeill

Galena is home to Galena High School and since 1992, Tri-State Christian School. Since 2007, Highland Community College has offered classes in the city.

See also

• List of people from Galena, Illinois
• The Galena Territory, Illinois

External links

• City of Galena official website
• Galena Gazette newspaper