Galena, Illinois: A Brief History

DIANN MARSH

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright © 2010 by Diann Marsh

All rights reserved

First published 2010

e-book edition 2011

ISBN 978.1.61423.230.8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Marsh, Diann.

Galena, Illinois : a brief history / Diann Marsh.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

print edition ISBN 978-1-59629-730-2

1. Galena (Ill.)--History. I. Title.

F549.G14M373 2010

977.3’343--dc22

2010022414

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

DEDICATED TO

ALICE TOEBAAS

Alice gives her talents, knowledge and years of devotion to the Galena-Jo Daviess County Museum and its collections. She is loved by all who know her.

Contents

Foreword, by P. Carter Newton

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1. In the Beginning…

Chapter 2. The Adventurers

Chapter 3. From Rags to Riches

Chapter 4. Galena Grows Up!

Chapter 5. The Grant Years

Chapter 6. A Picturesque Victorian Community

Chapter 7. A New Century Brings Changes

Epilogue. Why We Are Here

Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Foreword

If I walk down my front steps and look to my left, I see General Ulysses S. Grant’s pre–Civil War home. As I walk down the Fire Bell Steps, I see the mansions built during Galena’s nineteenth-century economic heyday. I look out at the home on Bouthillier Street that an adoring community gave Grant after the Civil War.

I continue down the steps and walk past the Methodist church on Bench Street that Grant and his family attended during his brief stay here before the Civil War. I look to the right and see the Galena History Museum, home to the priceless Peace in the Union painting depicting General Robert E. Lee’s surrender to Grant. Down on Main Street, I look left and see the Coatsworth Building, where the Grant Leather Shop was located. To the right is the DeSoto House, Galena’s historic hotel; Grant’s father, Jesse, was an original investor in this endeavor.

In Galena, we are surrounded by history. It’s a legacy community, thanks to the hard work and dedication of community caretakers that date back two hundred years or more. In Galena’s early years, the Galena River served as a superinformation highway. The news of the world arrived on steamboats headed north and south on the Mississippi River. Today, highspeed telephone, cable and wireless systems serve as conduits to this highway.

Galena is an interesting mix of past and present. To understand today, we must understand and appreciate the past and those who came before us.

P. Carter Newton

Publisher, Galena Gazette

Acknowledgements

In a city as rich in history and architecture as Galena, there are many people who are dedicated to studying and preserving the community’s heritage. When it comes to thanking those who have contributed to that effort, it’s hard to know where to start.

First of all, I would like to thank the staffs of the three historical collections sites in Galena. Steve Repp, Barb, Tim and Eldon made the many hours spent in the Alfred Mueller Historical Collections Room at the Galena Public Library fulfilling, interesting and a lot of fun. Additionally, Scott Wolfe, Chris Chapman, Susanna Ludwig Ruppert and the library staff were helpful and pleasant to work with.

Terry Miller, Jamie Dimke and Dan Tindell of the Illinois State Historic Sites staff were generous with photographs and information and were forever courteous and helpful. The staff at the Galena-Jo Daviess County Museum, especially Alice Toebaas, Nancy Breed and Colleen Yonda, were kind and patient.

The Spirits of the Museum, the special group that raises funds for the museum, needs to be thanked for its dedication, friendship and support. The Galena Writers Guild, a wonderfully talented group, has been very encouraging throughout the process of writing this book. My friends and the members of the Women’s Bible Study at Grace Episcopal Church have been especially kind and supportive. There’s nothing more valuable than a good friend who is understanding and willing to listen. P. Carter Newton, who has brought much of Galena’s rich history to the public, wrote an insightful and picturesque foreword.

Most of all, I would like to thank Robert, my husband of fifty-six years, who is wonderful and patient—he is my prince. He’s a trustworthy editor who pays attention to details. Our seven children and ten grandchildren were understanding and patient during this endeavor.

Lastly, thanks to all who love and care for Galena’s historic homes and buildings. It is a pleasure to write about buildings that still exist and are well maintained. Galena is an exciting and fascinating place to live!

Chapter 1

In the Beginning…

THE REMNANTS OF THE ICE AGE

The Driftless Area

Much of the beauty of the Galena area is seen in its surrounding hills, limestone cliffs and breathtaking views. Jo Daviess County has natural resources that other places only dream about.

Formed long before primitive man set foot on this earth, the topography of this small section of the Midwest has created a natural landscape for all to admire and appreciate. The Galena region’s remarkable and unique landscape forms some of the most interesting, picturesque and diversified views in the state of Illinois.

This small portion of the Midwest is called the driftless area due to a unique phenomenon that affected contiguous sections of northwest Illinois, northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin during the last ice age. The glaciers that covered much of the northern portion of our continent somehow missed this section of the country, leaving its deep valleys, limestone cliffs and sloping hills untouched. The glaciers moved instead to the west, covering Iowa, and to the east, flattening most of Illinois. However, geologists disagree about the reasons for the phenomenon. In The History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, written in 1878, the various theories are discussed for seventeen pages.¹ These theories are important because the picturesque beauty of our countryside is very much a part of Galena’s rich heritage.

The Mound Builders

The first occupants of this region didn’t leave any written or spoken records that would allow us to know about their daily lives. However, they did leave very important clues in the mysterious burial mounds that thickly dot the high banks of the Mississippi from its headwaters in Minnesota to the lowlands of Louisiana. Built over one thousand years ago, the mounds were ceremonial and sacred sites that commemorated the passing of loved ones and illustrated the sacred beliefs of the ancient peoples.

Called the Mound Builders, these primitive people left us traces of the prehistoric age in which they lived. The mounds, which contain skeletons, household utensils and implements of war, tell us how people lived along the Mississippi River, including the lands surrounding Galena.

These silent monuments of a prehistoric age have fascinated scholars for centuries. Some of the mounds are circular or conical, beaten down by centuries of wind and harsh weather. Others represent effigies of birds or animals such as eagles or bears.

During the 1870s, a handful of Galena citizens became fascinated by these mysterious prehistoric mounds and conducted archaeological digs, opening the graves to reveal the ancient contents. This group included General Louis Rowley, W.M. Snyder, John Dowling, Sidney Hunkins and Dr. W.S. Crawford, all prominent Galena residents.²

Some of the skeletons found in the graves had been placed in sitting positions around the sides of the pit, with legs facing the center. Others were placed back-to-back in the center with their legs extending outward. Lying beside the skeletons were several types of stone implements and tools. Large pearls, perforated to be strung, had come from the nearby rivers. Delicately carved bone ornaments were scattered about. Axes, spears and arrowheads of a special type of flint were in evidence. Several decorative items, some made of copper and others of silver, provided a mystery because those particular metals were not local. Research showed that they had come from the Lake Superior region, indicating that there had been travel and trade with those peoples. The artifacts gave valuable information about the creative talents and abilities of people who existed so long ago. Presumably, Louis Rowley and his friends left the relics in the mounds, resealing them forever.

The Keough Effigy Mound Land and Water Preserve, located about a mile from Galena, is owned by the Jo Daviess County Conservation Foundation. The site features rock shelters, bear effigies and Indian burial mounds. The Native Americans buried here are from the Late Woodland Period, AD 700 to 1000.³

Traveling the Ancient Trails and Waterways

Before the Indian trails came paths beaten out by animals in their search for water and food. These led from the grazing grounds to sources of salt and water. Some trails showed thousands of years of travel, becoming steep indentations as the animals traveled the paths during specific seasons.

Many Indian trails followed these ancient trails and waterways. They sometimes extended for great distances across the country. Every Indian village had trails that led to various hunting grounds, rivers and other villages. Meeting regularly for barter or trade, Indians from different tribes would meet at some central point along the trails, depending on the season. Larger Indian nations, such as the Iroquois, consisted of many villages spread out over a large territory. However, sometimes two nations were hostile to each other, carrying on feuds from generation to generation.⁴ Often, tribes would establish both winter and summer quarters. The area along the Fever (now Galena) River was the site of the summer camp of the Sac and Fox tribes, who spent the summer fishing there.

These trails were already in place when the first settlers arrived. One can picture the well-worn paths traveled by oxen and wagons as the prairie lands beckoned families to the vast new areas opened for homesteading, seen by pioneer families as a chance for a fresh new start. It was not unusual for them to move from state to state as the country opened up. Moving west represented an unknown and exciting future. Illinois had the reputation of having some of the richest farmland in the country. Much of the land was covered by an unbroken prairie, with a tangle of grasses so tall that a man could not see over it unless he was on a horse. The Galena area, with its thickly forested hills, limestone cliffs and deep sloping valleys, presented many challenges.

The Mississippi became the main highway in the exploration of the vast inland empire during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. First, canoes, flatboats and keelboats made their way up through the rough and wild territory. In the 1820s, steamboats came to Galena, traversing the three miles from the Mississippi.

UNDER FOUR FLAGS

In 1541, under the flag of Spain, the swashbuckling Hernando de Soto began his adventurous journey into the heavily forested wilderness. Unable to complete his expedition, he died on May 17, 1542, and was buried on an island in the middle of the Mississippi River, near what is now Arkansas.

Joliet and Marquette gave the first definite account of the Upper Mississippi. On May 17, 1673, they set out from the Jesuit mission of St. Ignace with five French companions. The result of their explorations allowed the French to strengthen their grip on the Mississippi Valley.

With the finalization of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the American flag was planted on both banks of the Mississippi. Following the purchase, Thomas Jefferson divided his new acquisition into two territories.

In 1804, Jefferson instructed Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to form an expedition to go up the Missouri River and the streams leading from its headwaters, hoping to discover a route from the Midwest to the Pacific Ocean. On April 7, 1805, Lewis is quoted as saying, We are about to penetrate a country at least two thousand miles in width, on which the foot of civilized man had never trodden.⁵ By far the most valuable items that Lewis and Clark brought back with them were their journals and maps. Clark’s map was soon published, widely distributed and became an invaluable contribution to the penetration of the American West.

Meanwhile, fur traders, Catholic missionaries and the first miners battled the heavy forests, multiple tribes of Indians, sickness and disease as they plunged into the wilderness.

In 1816, Captain John Shaw of the U.S. Army reported that the Indians along the Fever River were mining lead. The first boatload of lead ore was shipped down the Fever and Mississippi Rivers by Colonel George Davenport. Two years later, John Tyler Armstrong became the first permanent white settler on the Fever River at the site of what would become Galena.

THE WILD MISSISSIPPI SHORES

James Gaston Soulard, who was born in St. Louis on July 15, 1793, loved to tell the story of how he met his wife: One day, as he was walking with a companion, he saw a girl so beautiful that he fell in love with her instantly. There is the girl I am going to marry, he said with conviction. Who is she?

But your engagement to Mademoiselle! his friend protested.

That’s nothing. It doesn’t matter. Who is that girl?

After an inquiry among his friends, he learned that the girl was Elizabeth Hunt, daughter of Colonel Thomas Hunt of Detroit. She was visiting her sister, Abigail, the wife of Colonel Josiah Snelling, then stationed in St. Louis. James contrived to meet Elizabeth at a party, and on March 20, 1820, they were married.

One wonders if Elizabeth had any idea about the exciting life she would lead for the next fifty years. Both she and James were gifted with a spirit of adventure.

In 1821, Colonel Snelling and the Soulards embarked on an expedition to discover the source of the Mississippi. Elizabeth, along with their baby daughter, Antoinette, was the only woman in the party. James had taken additional courses in civil engineering that winter so that he could qualify as the engineer and surveyor for the small group.⁶

In October, the Soulards and Colonel Snelling, along with four boatmen, started up the river in a keelboat. Upriver travel was slow and difficult because the boat had to travel upstream using sheer manpower. The men would row and pull the boat along by the bordering branches along the shores of the river. What a journey!

 At this point, eleven years before the Black Hawk War, the Indians were friendly, and the Soulards bartered with them for food. At each stop, Indians came out of the woods and welcomed them. The tribes were fascinated by the flat keelboat with its square boxlike cabin.

One night, after the Indians had gone back to their village, Elizabeth returned to the keelboat to find Antoinette missing. Immediately, everyone began searching for the baby. Imagine her terror when she thought Antoinette had been kidnapped by the wild Indians, about whom they had heard many stories of violence.

They had almost given up hope when an Indian brave stepped out of the forest. Best of all, they heard a baby crying.

Take white papoose home to show squaw, the Indian explained. No hurt.

Along their way north, they journeyed for three miles up a small river known as the