Galena, Illinois: Small Towns, Big Stories | Ulysses S. Grant, Congressman Washburne | Jo Daviess Co

We will take a look at beautiful and historic Galena, Illinois, a small town with a big story.
Galena, illinois is a small town today with a 2020 census population of 3,300 people. This picturesque town has an amazing story.
Galena has been critical in a number of ways. It served as an important mining center, a railroad site, and the home of nine union generals during the Civil War, including Ulysses S. Grant.
Galena is located in Jo Daviess County in northwest Illinois. As the crow flies, Galena is 150 miles from chicago, just 6 miles south of the Wisconsin border, and 13 miles southeast of Dubuque, iowa on the Mississippi river.
The region was known to have important lead deposits, and thus was of high interest to the United States.
The name "galena" is derived from the Latin word for "lead sulphide".
About 150 settlers established Galena in 1826.
Jo Daviess County was established the next year, 1827. Galena would serve as the county seat.
The mine industry at Galena was robust, and the population blossomed. The 1850 US Census shows that Galena had over 6,000 residents, making it one of the larger towns in Illinois. Galena in 1850 was one fifth the population of Chicago.
Galena is connected to the Mississippi River by way of the Galena River which flows through town.
Steamboat traffic was the main engine of distance trade and transport in the first half of the nineteenth century, and Galena's access to the Mississippi River made the town an important steam post.
Steamboat traffic was heavy at Galena, and the town was easily one of the busiest Mississippi River ports north of St. Louis.
However, the Illinois Central railroad brought the train to Galena in 1854. this connected Galena to Freeport, Rockford, and then on to Chicago.
As a steamship port and now a railroad stop, galena was a critical staging point into the upper Midwest by the 1850s.
Hiram Ulysses Grant, later Ulysses S. Grant after a typo in his West Point records, was born in Point Pleasant, Ohio in 1822, when Illinois was considered the far west and still in its infancy. He grew up in Georgetown, Ohio. After graduating from West Point in 1843, he was stationed in St. Louis, Missouri.
He met his future wife, Julia Dent, in St. Louis. Before he married, though, he was sent to serve in the Mexican War.
In 1856, Grant visited his brother Simpson in Galena.
That same year, a lawyer visited Galena and spoke in favor of the new anti-slavery party, the republican party. the speaker was Abraham Lincoln.
Another speaker that the town would host in this period was Frederick Douglass.
Grant went to work as a clerk with his brothers in a leather shop.
Fate kept drawing Grant to the Mississippi river. He had met his wife in St. Louis, relocated to Galena, and the war would see grant as the master of the Mississippi River and her tributaries. Grant secured Vicksburg, Mississippi on the fourth of July, 1863.
After the war, Grant returned to Galena in August 1865. 25,000 came to Galena to welcome the hero home. local republicans gifted the grant family the home on Bouthillier street.
The house was fairly new when it was gifted to general grant's family. The home was built in 1860. The home was designed in the Italianate style, common in America in the middle and latter nineteenth century.
But Grant would soon be called to his next service, winning the election for president of the United States in 1868.
The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency manages the Grant home. Guides provide regular tours, detailing the life of grant and his family.
a statue of the first lady, Julia Dent Grant, is set in front of the home.
Across from Grant's house is the Crowson House, a good example of a settler house, this building from about 1836.
Congressman Elihu Washburne's house still stands in galena. it is a Greek revival style house. Washburne was a stalwart republican and friend of President Lincoln. so, Galena was home to the republic's leading soldiers as well as her philosophers. Like the grant house, the home is managed by the Illinois historic preservation agency.
In addition to General Grant, Galena would produce eight more union generals for the Civil War, including Brigadier General John Rawlins pictured here. John Rawlins was born in Galena in 1831. He would later serve in Grant's administration.
The name "galena" would be given to a union ironclad, the name of the midwestern town on a vessel that patrolled waters in virginia.
Today, Galena is a great small town getaway, offering golf courses, fine restaurants, historic tours, and family activities.
there are many sights to see and accomodating places to stay.
Eagle Ridge has emerged as a popular golf and family recreation resort.
Some one and a half million visitors come to Galena each year.
This film was made by Jeffrey Meyer, historian and librarian